


Unobtainable

by MissNMikaelson



Series: First Meetings [2]
Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Drama & Romance, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2018-08-28
Packaged: 2019-06-23 11:00:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 34,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15604845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissNMikaelson/pseuds/MissNMikaelson
Summary: Everyone has the first words their soulmate will say to them somewhere on their body. Elena had always thought hers were strange. After all what else was there besides human?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own TVD or TO.  
> This is the soulmate AU where the first words they say are somewhere on your body. Not necessarily a new idea, but I'm pretty sure the interpretation is.  
> Enjoy the first chapter. I'm thinking there will probably be between 5-10 chapters long. Then again... I said DWTH would be 20...so... we'll see.

Elena's internal organs shook with fear. It curled in her abdomen and pulsed through every cell of her body.

She was certain her captor could smell it. Vampires could smell fear; Damon had said it made the blood sweeter. Still she was determined not to let her body shake.

It was a rather pointless endeavor. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she paced back and forth over the dusty floor. Her mouth was open slightly. She forced it closed and clenched her jaw when she heard the footsteps.

She knew he could read the fear in her face; she used to be excellent at hiding her emotions, but the past year had broken her of the habit. Lifting her eyes to the stairs she saw him freeze in his tracks. She could only assume that he was Elijah.

His eyes grew round when he saw the woman his brother had been hunting for five hundred years. Clearly Rose had been lying. She couldn't be human. Before the doppelganger could even blink he was in front of her.

She inhaled sharply when his hands grasped her upper arms. It wasn't painful, but it had been enough to surprise her. She was pretty sure his hands were the only thing keeping her from trembling.

His eyes scrutinized her features.

Elena's gaze fell to his mouth when he slowly leaned closer. Her breath caught in her throat. He seemed to hover over her lips for an eternity before lowering his face to the smooth column of her throat. She heard him take a deep breath as he inhaled her; as he identified her scent.

"Human," his voice was a soft whisper as he straightened up. "It's impossible," his eyes lifted in contemplation before settling on her with a soft smirk. "Hello there."

The skin behind her ear tingled: a tickling sensation along her hairline. Elena forgot how to breathe.

* * *

_"Will you just tell me what it says?" Elena giggled. She was at the annual cheerleading sleepover; once a year they all stayed together at one of their houses. That year it was Elena's family lake house._

_"How did you get so unlucky?" Caroline took a swig from the bottle of whiskey they had lifted from Grayson Gilbert's private stash. "Most people can read their own soul marks."_

_"I didn't get a say in where it went," Elena rolled her eyes. "You're clearly too drunk to read." She took the bottle from Caroline when she started to sway and turned to her other friend. "Come on Bonnie…" she paused long enough to take a swig from the bottle, "… what are the first words my soulmate will say to me?"_

_Bonnie dutifully leaned forward when her best friend lifted her hair. She read the elegant script that flowed along her hairline: "human. It's impossible. Hello there."_

_"Those are some weird first words," Caroline snickered. "What else is there besides human?"_

_"Maybe her soulmates expecting a golden retriever," Bonnie whispered._

_"Or a nightingale," Elena giggled._

_"A what?" Caroline snorted._

_"It was the first thing I could think of," Elena shrugged._

* * *

Her eyes were wide.

"We have a long journey ahead of us. We should be going." Elijah held up his finger towards Trevor. "One last piece of business and we're done."

"I've waited so long for this day, Elijah," Trevor smiled nervously. "I'm truly, very sorry."

"Oh no," he waved his hand dismissively, "your apologies are not necessary."

Elena wondered what her captor could have possibly done to anger him. She had a feeling Elijah was not a man one wanted to cross; power and authority radiated from his shoulders.

"Yes, yes it is." Trevor nodded decisively. "You trusted me with Katerina and I failed you."

_Figures,_  Elena swallowed and watched the exchange,  _even my soulmate knew Katherine first._

"Yes," Elijah hummed, turning to glance at Rose, "you are the guilty one and Rose helped you because she was loyal to you," his smile was genial, forgiving, "and that… now that I honor." He returned his attention to Trevor, his eyes narrowed. "Where was your loyalty?"

Trevor trembled. "I… I," he stammered, his eyes turned pleading, "I beg your forgiveness."

"So granted."

The relieved smile was still present on Trevor's face when his head was torn from his shoulders.

"You…" Rose cried striding forwards. She was immediately stopped by his raised hand.

"Don't," Elijah lifted an eyebrow, "you are free, Rose, do not throw it all away by doing something foolish now."

Elena stared at his hand for a moment not quite comprehending the situation. He was a vampire… an Original, whatever that was, according to Rose. She felt her terror starting to recede. It returned with a vengeance when he lost his patience and took her hand.

"Come," he was about to pull her along when she spoke.

"No," Elena swallowed nervously. It was time to find out if the tingling was a fluke. "What about the moonstone?"

His eyes darted from her face to his tingling wrist and back again.

"What did you say?" His heart stuttered in his chest. A thousand years had gone by; more than a thousand years. The words had been etched into his skin in an unfamiliar hand with unknown letters. Had he finally found her? If so than the universe had a truly perverse sense of humour. Was he simply destined to fall for every woman who wore her face? Or had his mind somehow known that she would be a doppelganger?

Elena repeated her question in a whisper. When his eyes moved she followed their path to his wrist. She could see the edges of letters peeking out from under his sleeve… very familiar letters. It was a hand she saw every night when she wrote in her diary.

It wasn't a fluke. This man… this ancient being was her soulmate. She could see the realization in his eyes. It only grew in intensity when she raised her hand, slid her hair over her right shoulder, and exposed the elegant writing along her neck.

Elijah's hand brushed a few strands of silky hair out of the way. His fingertips ghosted over his handwriting; it extended from her ear and swept along her hairline.

His eyes narrowed when he spotted the red stain over her back and on her right arm.

She had to be human. She had to be a doppelganger. Elijah's head reeled with the new information. He couldn't give her to his brother he knew that much. The desire to keep her safe from everything overcame him; the need to punish those who had done her harm was all encompassing.

"Who did this to you?" He flattened his hand over the small of her back.

"Katherine," Elena shivered as his hands ghosted over the wounds that had healed.

"Why does that not surprise me?" Elijah sighed. He would make Katerina suffer greatly when he finally found her.

First though he needed to ensure she was safe, and she was not safe with him. He could smell the vervain rising from the locket around her neck; perhaps one day he would ask how she came to be in possession of his sister's necklace.

Slowly he trailed his hand up her back. He heard her sharp intake of breath when he deftly caressed the nape of her neck. He knew he was running out of time when he heard the blundering rescuers outside the house; there was a chance, however slim, that they would succeed.

Elena blinked when she felt her necklace fall into his hands. "What are you doing?"

His palm sizzled under the vervain filled trinket. In the blink of an eye he was in front of Rose.

Elena couldn't hear what he said to the vampire, but when he was done Rose shook her head as if coming out of a daze.

Elena's eyes widened when he stood before her again. His fingers under her chin were gentle.

"Forget what you know about our connection," he compelled her quietly. "Forget our conversation. The last thing you said was about the moonstone." He replaced her necklace and took a step back.

"What do you know about the moonstone?" He stepped forwards.

"I know that you need it, and I know where it is?"

"Yes."

"I can help you get it," her heart beat erratically.

"Tell me where it is," his pupils dilated slightly.

"It doesn't work that way," she shook her head with more bravery than she felt.

"Are you negotiating with me?" The corner of his mouth lifted in an impressed smirk. He looked at Rose from the corner of his eye.

"It's the first I've heard of it," she shrugged.

Elijah leaned closer and attempted to compel her again. His eyes fell to the necklace at her throat. "What is this vervain doing around here?" His voice danced with amusement as he tore the trinket from her neck and threw it into a corner.

Elena gasped when his hand grasped her chin gently. She knew he was compelling her when the truth fell from her lips.

"Tell me where the moonstone is."

"In the tomb, beneath the church ruins."

"What is it doing there?"

"It's with Katherine."

"Interesting," he stepped back. His head spun around when he heard a noise. "What is that?"

"I don't know," Rose shook her head.

"Who else is in this house?"

Authority dripped from his mouth. Elena was certain she would have answered without compulsion if she had known.

It had to have been a fluke; strange when she thought of how odd the words had been. How often would someone come up to her and say that?

* * *

"No, Damon," Elena shook her head and backed away. "I won't do it."

"Come on Elena," Damon followed after her. "He's dangerous; he needs to be put down. You know he'll be coming for you now."

"I won't do it," she pushed the dagger away.

After remembering what he'd made her forget she should have wanted to drive a knife through his heart. Her soulmate wanted her to forget his importance to her; she didn't stop to question how she remembered the compulsion. She was too angry to think about it right then, but not angry enough to hurt him.

She wondered if he had done it because he wanted to hand her over to Klaus, and it was easier without the possibility of forming an attachment. Their wording had been very careful; she knew there was a loophole in their deal. She was not offered protection, but she still couldn't harm him.

"I won't," her jaw clenched tightly.

"He will kill both of us," Damon nodded to Stefan, "and take you. You'll be handed over to Klaus when the time is right, and then you'll be dead. You have to do this," he took a menacing step forwards and pushed the blade into her hand. "You know you have to do this."

Elena gritted her teeth when his pupils dilated.

* * *

"Stefan won't let you die."

Elena wondered if she was imagining the desperation in his eyes. Did he know she remembered? She figured the memory had something to do with the dagger hidden in her back pocket. Maybe he didn't realize what had happened.

"No," she shook her head, "he won't. He'll feed me his blood to heal me, and I'll kill myself and become a vampire, just like Katherine did." She took a deep breath as her heart stuttered. "So unless you want that to happen again, promise me the same as before. Promise me that you won't harm anyone that I love… even if they've harmed you."

She wasn't sure why she felt the need to harm the ones that had harmed him. He had proven that he was more than capable of protecting himself.

Elijah tilted his head down and smiled. "I'm going to have to call your bluff Elena."

She nodded once sadly before plunging the chef's knife into her gut. A loud gasp fell from her lips. She used one hand to brace herself on the door as she stared in shock at the protruding handle. Blood poured from the wound when the blade clattered to the floor.

"Okay," he rushed to the door only to be stopped by the barrier, "okay," his roar was desperate to his own ears. "You can have your deal, just…" he beat against the invisible wall, "… let me heal you."

"Give me your word," Elena gasped.

"You have it," he swore. He could see the life draining from her eyes. "You have my word."

Elena stumbled forward into his warm embrace. She felt a tear slip down her cheek that had absolutely nothing to do with the gut wrenching pain; the pain had all but disappeared. In the back of her mind she knew that was not a good sign.

Her eyes were glued to Elijah's face as the life drained away. His body desiccated under her gaze as Stefan pushed his bleeding wrist into her mouth.

* * *

Elena toyed with the dagger in her hands and waited. She had wanted to pull the blade out immediately; after all Damon had only compelled her to plunge the dagger into his body. She had left him though. She'd needed time to think through everything.

She still didn't know why he had compelled her to forget their first conversation.

She had gone to the basement when Damon had told her he would let Bonnie die if it came down to a choice between the girls. She wouldn't let her friend die. She knew the only one who could help her now was him.

She scrambled forwards onto her hands and knees and leaned over.

"Elena?" He gasped and tried to sit up. He could barely breathe. The air in the dusty room seemed to close over him.

He grasped the back of her neck and summoned all of the strength he could muster into the compulsion.

Elena had just enough time to curse herself for not drinking vervain before he forced the memory from her head again.

* * *

"Where do I fit in to all of this?" Elena crossed her arms and watched him pull out a small box.

"The final part of the ritual," Elijah lifted the lid. "Klaus must drink the blood of the doppelganger… to the point of your death."

"And that's when you come in," Elena leaned over to take in the bottle.

"This is an elixir that I acquired some 500 years ago for Katerina," Elijah stared at the bottle. He was glad she was human and couldn't hear the way his heart skipped a beat. It certainly helped the lie that the bottle was from the right century; Elena didn't need to know that concoction had been created by Jonas after she had made it clear she would go willingly to his brother. "It possesses mystical properties of resuscitation."

"So I'll be dead…"

"And then you won't."

Elena lifted her eyes to the stairs when there was a loud crash. Damon was breaking the china on the upper level.

"You'd think he'd understand why I'm willing to do this," she shook her head.

Elijah couldn't resist asking. The question had been eating him alive since she'd made her decision. He had wanted to take her from Mystic Falls when the words had matched, but he thought she would be safe. He should have known Niklaus would get word of Elena's existence. By the time she had woken him again the time for running had passed them by; Niklaus would hunt her to the ends of the earth.

"I'm the key to breaking the curse," Elena shrugged. "Klaus is here because of me. If I don't stop him then he's going to hurt people. It's that simple."

She was a wonder. Elijah had been more than impressed with the way she handled herself in the face of those who could kill her. She was a born negotiator.

"You know there is a possibility this elixir won't work. I don't want to mislead you." Elijah placed the bottle on the table.

"I know the chance I'm taking," Elena lifted her gaze to his intense eyes.

"You don't have to," he frowned. "There is another option."

Elena shook her head quickly. "No," her eyes narrowed, "I don't want that. I never wanted that." Her neck twisted towards the stairs. "I'm going to go and talk to him; he's clearly not taking this well."

* * *

She held the necklace tightly in her hand and opened the door. She had been expecting to find Elijah, so she was more than taken aback when it was Klaus on her doorstep.

"Might I have a word love?" He motioned to her porch swing.

She watched him warily as she stepped around and perched on the swing. His lips were quirked up into a smirk that made her blood run cold.

"What do you want Klaus?" She released her necklace and wrapped her fingers around the chain of the swing. Damon had told her he'd removed the dagger from Elijah; she had honestly been expecting to find the Original in her bedroom at some point during the night. She had made sure her necklace was securely around her neck; she knew she wouldn't be able to stop him, but she had wanted answers first before he took her memory again.

"What do I want?" He tilted his head and scrutinized her features Dark circles ringed her eyes. "I want many things, Elena, an endless supply of your blood, an army of hybrids, world domination… the list goes on and on. I think the more accurate question is: why are you here?"

Elena didn't say anything. She didn't have to.

"Elijah threatened to wake someone very dangerous to me," Klaus frowned. "In exchange for this person's eternal slumber he wanted one thing. Can you guess? Judging by the circles under your eyes you were expecting him to show up yourself."

"No," she shook her head.

Klaus pulled the locket from her neck before she could shift an inch. The chain creaked as she was pushed backwards onto the swing.

"I wonder if you'll tell me what memory he wants you to forget permanently," he chuckled. "No matter, if he ever found out I knew he'd release him and I can't have that. So," he caught her chin and compelled her, "you need to forget now."

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own TVD or TO.  
> I was going to skip right to Elena's transition, but then I thought I would add in the ball scene as well as the aftermath. This is my interpretation of 3x14-15 as it would fit into this AU. I have another interpretation that I might write as a canon divergence fic later.

"I've half a mind to undo my compulsion," Klaus growled. "You agreed not to wake Kol if I removed whatever memory it was."

"I upheld my end of the bargain," he buttoned his cuffs. "I was not the one who woke him; that was Finn."

"Ah yes, insufferable Finn," Klaus grumbled.

"Play nicely, Niklaus," he chuckled. His lips twisted in a sardonic smirk. "Mother is rather intent on us being a family again; it won't do to have you at odds with everyone." He called back over his shoulder, "and leave Elena be."

He had waited until his brother had returned to pay Elena a visit the previous evening. The fact that she hadn't screamed and slammed the door in his face told Elijah that Niklaus had done as requested. He had spent very little time in her presence.

The longer he was around her, the greater his desire became to tell her the truth, but he couldn't do that. Elena had told him once that she had never wanted to be a vampire, and he would not force her hand. It was safer for her to not know. It was safer for her if he was only the brother of the man who had wanted to kill her. He would let her live her human life even if it meant he would only ever be her ally.

He had stayed long enough to compel her to forget the brief visits she had received, but not before compelling her to start drinking vervain every morning. Thanks to Niklaus she would never remember their first meeting; the vervain would ensure nobody ever compelled her again.

Elijah shook himself from the memories. He stepped into the study and unbuttoned his cuff when heat pulsed over his wrist; the looping letters throbbed beneath his thumb.

"Where is Rebekah?" Elijah adjusted his sleeves. When he was satisfied the mark was well hidden he lifted his gaze to his youngest brother; she had been there not twenty minutes before.

"Don't know," Kol shrugged. "She said something about a 'doppelbitch' and a dagger before running off." He glanced up from his book when his brother's heart stuttered. "Elijah?"

Panic and anger curled in his chest. "I'll be back later."

* * *

Fear splintered Elena's heart. The breath caught in her throat; it refused to enter her lungs. The air couldn't find its way around the strong fingers holding her neck.

Wasn't your life meant to flash before your eyes before death? Weren't you supposed to see the things and people you loved?

Maybe her brain was cross wired. Maybe there was something seriously wrong with her. She didn't see her family and friends. She didn't see Stefan or Damon or long forgotten memories of a happy childhood.

The one thing Elena saw when Rebekah lunged for her carotid artery was Elijah. She saw Elijah Mikaelson leaning down to nuzzle her throat.

She gasped for air when the hand released her. Bending at the waist she coughed violently and lifted her eyes to her rescuer.

"Elijah," Rebekah gasped. Her fingers curled around her brother's wrist.

"Leave," a muscle in his jaw ticked. A dangerous gleam entered his eyes when he released her.

Rebekah's eyes bored into him as her lips twisted in an expression of disbelief. She made a move to lunge for Elena and found herself pressed against the car once more; the doppelganger had been moved behind him.

"Are you challenging me?" Power dripped from his voice. The set of his mouth was amused but his voice and eyes held a very real threat.

Rebekah's eyes widened slightly as she glanced from her brother to Elena. She shook her head sadly and scoffed.

"You're pathetic," her disdainful gaze cut to Elena, "both of you."

"Well," he turned to Elena when his sister was gone, "I believe we have some catching up to do." He opened the passenger door of her car before flashing around to drive her home.

Along the way he explained who had been in the final coffin.

* * *

Caroline waved a fry frantically in the air as she spoke around a mouthful of food.

"It's some twisted Cinderella fetish is what it is," she sniffed and popped the fry between her lips. "And why does the evil witch want an audience with you?"

"I don't know," Elena picked away at her own food. "There's only one way to find out."

"I thought you told Damon and Stefan you weren't going," Caroline leaned forwards.

"I did," Elena tilted her head and sighed. "That's where you come in… I need a drama free bodyguard."

"I think they'd look better in a tux," Caroline mused.

"I can't deal with them right now Care," Elena ran her fingers back through her hair. "Everything Stefan's feeling he's channeling against Klaus, and Damon…" she shook her head, "… it's not a good idea."

"Shame one of them isn't your soulmate," Caroline smirked. "That would make this whole thing much easier."

"My soulmate?" Elena crossed her arms on the table.

"Think about it," Caroline urged, she nodded to the mark behind Elena's ear, "it makes sense now. Years ago you couldn't fathom what 'else' there was, but now you know there is more than," her voice dropped to a whisper, "human out there. I think it's a safe bet your soulmate is a vampire."

"By that logic it is also a safe bet that my soulmate knew my doppelganger first," Elena sighed.

* * *

"I'm not leaving until I find out what Esther wants, Damon," Elena rolled her eyes.

Her annoyance flared when it became increasingly clear that neither Salvatore was going to leave her alone. She couldn't shake the feeling of being watched when she was physically pulled down into the ballroom.

* * *

He had been keeping one eye on her since she arrived. Elijah frowned when he overheard the brief conversation between Elena and his older brother. It had been nine hundred years since he had really listened to Finn speak, but he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something menacing in his tone.

He took his place on the stairs below his family and cleared his throat. Once he had everyone's attention he gazed out over the crowd. His eyes might have landed on her a few too many times to be considered casual.

"Welcome," he smiled, "thank you for joining us. You know, whenever my mother brings our family together like this, it's tradition for us to commence the evening with a dance. Tonight's pick is a centuries-old waltz, so you could all please find yourselves a partner and join us in the ballroom."

Elijah stepped down from the stairs and tuned his ears to the conversation taking place across the room.

_"Don't even think about it,"_ Damon grabbed her arm.

_"She wants to see me alone, Damon."_

_"Sucks to be her, then. Was I not clear this morning?"_

_"I was invited,"_ Elena glared at him.

_"You have to tell me before you walk into the lion's den."_

_"No,"_ she shook her head,  _"I don't. I'm a big girl Damon I can make my own choices."_

* * *

"How did you manage to escape your bodyguards?" Elijah leaned against the wall. His eyes slowly ran over the black and gold dress; she took his breath away just as she had done when she'd arrived.

"Stefan broke Damon's neck," Elena shrugged.

He chuckled before approaching. "I understand my mother wants to speak with you."

"Yes," Elena swallowed and tilted her head. "Why? Is something wrong?"

"Well," Elijah mirrored her head tilt and narrowed his eyes slightly. "Her ability to forgive my brother after everything he has done to destroy this family strikes me as a little strange to say the least."

Elena took a small step closer and felt the heat radiate from his body. "You think it's an act?"

"It has me asking questions I never thought I would ask." He frowned as his wrist warmed. "Can I depend on you to tell me what she says?"

"Of course," Elena nodded. "I'll find you later."

"Thank you, Elena," he watched her walk down the corridor. The further away she moved the stronger the feeling of trepidation became; the hotter his wrist grew.

* * *

"You're here to help us kill Klaus, aren't you?" Elena folded her hands in her lap and met the Original witch's gaze.

"One thing at a time Elena," Esther smiled tightly, "for now I just need your help. I understand that Rebekah shared the story of my family… how I upset the balance of nature by turning my children into vampires."

"She said you did it to protect them."

"It's true," Esther nodded sadly, "but in no time at all they began to feed on human blood. They ravaged the town with no remorse. Eventually Niklaus turned against me. It will take time, magic, and your assistance to kill him."

"What do I have to do?" Elena nibbled on her lower lip.

"My children believe that I am holding this to celebrate our reunion," Esther gestured to their ornate gowns, "but in truth, I've gathered them together to perform a ritual. The first step requires blood from the doppelganger. Only a drop," she hurried to explain when she read the fear in Elena's expression. "Its essence will be in the champagne toast later on this evening."

Esther pulled out a large needle and held it before Elena.

She hesitated when she saw the wicked point. Something about this seemed off.

"What will it do?" Elena glanced at the parchment covered in runes.

"It will link my children together as one," Esther explained gently. "Elijah will require more persuasion than the rest; he is more suspicious than his siblings."

"What do you mean by 'linked as one'?"

"You said yourself dear," Esther smiled, "Klaus cannot be killed, but tonight's spell links all of my children so that if one goes they all go."

"What?" Elena's eyes grew round. She thought of the Originals and found she only hated one enough to kill; the thought of harming the others was wrong. The thought of harming Elijah made her stomach turn.

"I love my family Elena, but they are abominations. I betrayed nature when I created them, and so it is my duty to kill them."

"No," she shook her head. Jumping to her feet she backed towards the door.

"No?" Esther blinked in surprise. "What do you mean no?"

"I won't do it," Elena tried the handle and paled when it wouldn't budge.

"I had hoped you would do this willingly Elena," Esther sighed.

Elena felt the blood rush from her body when Esther opened the door and called for Finn. Before she could even contemplate running strong arms wrapped around her shoulders and held her in place. The black glove was pulled from her hand. She squirmed and kicked but his hold was iron tight. A gasp fell from her lips when the needle drew blood from her middle finger.

She gritted her teeth when she was spun around and Finn's fingers lifted her chin.

"You will forget what just happened," his pupils dilated as he stared into her eyes, "you met with my mother and agreed to help her. You will reassure Elijah that everything is perfectly fine, and you will not interfere with the ritual in any way."

"Fuck you," she glared at him. "I already told you I wouldn't help."

Finn turned to his mother and sighed. "She's on vervain."

"A fact easily remedied," Esther lifted a small cup, "by hibiscus and mug wort."

Elena pressed her lips firmly together but her mouth popped open when Esther pinched her nose. She coughed and sputtered but the thick liquid was forced down her throat.

_Alright,_  she conceded when Finn caught her chin,  _maybe there are two I want dead._

* * *

Elijah caught up with Elena again in the main hall.

"So," he smiled gently, "how was my mother?"

"Intense," she shrugged one shoulder.

"And for what reason did she need to speak with you alone?" He picked up two glasses from a passing waiter and pressed one into her hand. Following her gaze he saw his mother smiling at Elena from the stairs.

"Elena," he tilted his head when she returned his attention, "should I be concerned about my mother's intentions?"

_Reassure Elijah that everything is fine._  "She just wanted to apologize for trying to have me killed," she shook her head and smiled. Her abdomen knotted under his gaze.

"So it's true then?" He stared into her dark eyes. "She has forgiven Niklaus?"

"It's true." She smiled.

His smile tightened when her heart skipped a beat.

* * *

Elena couldn't hear Esther's speech. She couldn't hear anything over the rushing in her ears. Surely every vampire in the room could hear the crashing waves. Surely they could hear the unnatural ringing.

She found Elijah staring at her when he raised his glass and said cheers.

Her hairline, which had been growing increasingly warm, burned when he swallowed a sip of the tainted champagne. She raised her left hand and pressed against the area when she took her leave. Was the mark supposed to burn?

* * *

Elena grasped the sides of her neck and rocked forward in the chair.

"I just signed their death sentences, Stefan."

"No," he lifted her chin, "you signed Klaus' death sentence, Elena. Everyone else is collateral damage."

"It's not that simple."

"That family has brought you nothing but darkness Elena. It is that simple."

"No," she shook her head, "it's not."

"Why not?" Stefan perched on the edge of the coffee table.

Elena's mouth opened and closed. She couldn't find the words to express her emotions in that moment. Stefan was right, the Mikaelson's had brought nothing but trouble and darkness into her life, but Elijah had tried to keep her alive; he had tried to help. Knowing that she had aided in his coming death was eating her alive.

* * *

"That's great," Damon grinned. "Klaus will finally be dead. We win." He couldn't stop his glee at learning that the entire family would soon be gone and out of their lives. "Why do you look like someone shot a panda bear?" His eyes roamed over Elena's distraught expression.

"Because," Elena threw her hands up and paced around the couch, "to kill Klaus, she has to kill them all, including Elijah, and he doesn't deserve this."

"I'm supposed to care about Elijah?" Damon scoffed. "News flash, I don't. Why do you?"

* * *

"Ok, well," Elena sighed. Bonnie had just told her about her own meeting with the Original witch. "Is there a way to stop her from channeling you?"

"Even if there was, why would I want to do that?" Bonnie looked up from the bundle of sage.

"I just… I keep thinking about the ritual," she chewed on her lip, "Elijah found a way to keep me alive. And now I'm in the same position, and I'm just going to let him die?" Her fingers rubbed the area behind her left ear. "It doesn't feel right."

"Ok, first of all," Caroline pushed open the door, "the privacy spell is not working. Second, Elena, you not doing this. Esther is doing this."

"There's no time to change your mind, Elena. He'll be dead by the end of the night." Bonnie leaned back on the bed.

"What?"

"It's a full moon. Esther needs to harness the energy of a celestial event and she asked me and my mom to join her."

Elena's heart dropped into her stomach. She didn't have much time; it was getting increasingly difficult to think with the burning behind her ear.

* * *

Elena paused at the bottom of the stairs when the soft knock sounded.

"Elena," he slid his hands into his pockets and smiled.

"Elijah," she smiled. A small relieved sigh escaped when she saw he was unharmed. The heat seemed to recede a bit now that she knew he was alright.

"I don't mean to intrude."

Elena's smile grew strained when she saw his eyes lacked their usual warmth.

"I was hoping you might accompany me," he smiled when she hesitated, "I want to show you something."

* * *

"I can't even imagine what this must have been like a thousand years ago," Elena sighed. Her eyes traced the proud lines of the trees.

"You know," Elijah held a birch and walked around it, "your school was built on an Indian village. It's where I saw my first werewolf. The town square was where the natives would gather to worship, and near that there was a field where the horses used to graze."

"That's incredible," Elena breathed. She paused when they reached the ruins of the church. "Do you know this place, too?"

"Yes," he smiled fondly, "I do. Below us is a cavern I used to play in as a boy. It connects to a system of tunnels that stretch across the entire area. Mother used to say it was nature's way of providing us with shelter during the full moon."

Elena's smile dropped at the mention of his mother. Try as she might she still couldn't understand why she had willingly given her blood to the witch.

"I should probably go home," Elena frowned. She wanted to tell him but the words caught in her throat. All she knew was that she couldn't interfere.

"I admire you, Elena," he caught her arm. "You remind me of many of the qualities I valued long before my mother turned us. It's not in your nature to be deceitful, and yet when I asked you about your meeting with my mother the other night, you lied to my face."

"That's n-not true," Elena swallowed.  _It is true; tell him the truth… maybe he can stop it._  "I told you that all your mother wanted was a new start."

"I can hear your heartbeat, Elena." He stepped closer and lifted her chin; a jolt traveled up his arm when his fingers ghosted over the words at the base of her skull. "It jumps when you're being dishonest with me. You lied to me at the ball and you are lying to me now." He wasn't sure why his hand held her neck. "Tell me the truth, Elena."

"I never wanted this to happen," she sighed. Her skin heated beneath his hand; suddenly the words were free and a desire to be much closer to him burned through her.

"What, Elena?" The pain in her eyes was enough to break his heart.

"When she asked to see me, I…" Elena felt the words stick in her throat, "I thought maybe she could help… that she would she find a way to kill Klaus, but…" She choked on the words again. There was a moment of tense silence as she searched for the phrase that would tell him what he needed to know.

"It's not just Klaus that she wants to kill."

"She wants to kill us all doesn't she?" Elijah frowned. The betrayal stabbed through him harder than his father's blade a thousand years before. "She wants to undo the evil she created."

"I'm so sorry, Elijah." She shivered when he removed his hand. "I wish there was something I could do to help."

"You know," he closed his eyes and shook his head slowly, "one thing I've learned in my time on this earth… be careful what you wish for."

She gasped when he kicked a hole in the earth and wrapped his arms around her waist before jumping underground.

* * *

He knew why he felt guilty. He knew the reason it clawed through his body. He was starting to suspect he knew what the heat beneath her handwriting meant as well.

He didn't regret manipulating the Salvatores. He didn't regret orchestrating the death of Abby Bennet to save his life and that of his siblings. He didn't regret attempting to kill his own mother; she was already dead and had attempted to kill them.

He regretted involving Elena in the mess. He'd been hurt and angry that she had betrayed him, but almost instantly the guilt had set in.

She had no reason to want to help him. In her own mind he was nothing but the brother of the man who had murdered her for his own gains.

In spite of that he had seen the anguish in her eyes. If he hadn't compelled her recently to drink vervain every morning he might have thought Finn had used compulsion to make her agree to his mother's plans.

He regretted leaving her in the hands of Rebekah who he knew wanted her dead. He regretted the torment he had sentenced her to in the cavern.

Elijah ran his fingers over the bed spread and inhaled the rising scent that was wholly Elena Gilbert. Reaching into his jacket pocket he extracted the folded paper and laid it on her pillow.

He watched from her backyard as she entered her bedroom and found his letter. He was across town before she could look out her window.

* * *

She wanted to hate him; she wanted to be angry.

She wanted to hate him, but she couldn't exactly blame him.

Her own anger melted away as she read through his letter. She couldn't quite shake the feeling that she had seen the elegant script somewhere before.

_Elena,_

_Today I did things I abhor to protect the one thing I value most, my family. If anyone can understand it, it's you._

_Your compassion is a gift, Elena. Carry it with you, as I will carry my regret._

_Always and Forever,_

_Elijah_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drop off some lovely, lovely reviews.  
> The marks burn when your soulmate is in danger. Elijah obviously knows what's going on, but Elena doesn't.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own TVD or TO  
> This chapter goes straight to Elena's transition.  
> A couple of notes:  
> 1\. There is no sire bond.  
> 2\. Finn never died.  
> 3\. Kol and Jeremy became actual friends after the ball, and by extension Elena became friends as well.

She couldn't figure out why Damon was avoiding her. Ever since her transition he had been keeping his distance. It was kind of nice actually… peaceful… but she couldn't figure out why. He'd been all over her the previous week when she'd been human.

"Maybe he compelled you to forget something," Kol pressed a few buttons on the controller in his hands. "Perhaps it was mortifying and he's steering clear until it blows over." He whooped when he managed to strike down Jeremy.

"You know we're on the same team right?" Jeremy threw a pillow at the Original.

"All's fair in love and war," Kol shrugged and avoided the pillow.

His friendship with Jeremy had started off in a rocky place when Klaus sent him to keep an eye on the younger Gilbert, but the two had actually managed to strike up a descent relationship over the months.

Currently he was the only Original Elena could stand; at least the only one in town since Elijah had vanished after the debacle with his mother.

"What's the deal with compelled memories anyway?" Elena smirked when she took out Kol's avatar. "Stefan always said they came back in the transition."

"It's a little more complicated than that," Kol glanced at her from the corner of his eyes. "Compelled memories come back slowly. Direct orders almost immediately dissipate, but memories take time. Usually it's the lesser ones that come back first… they're followed by the ones that took a greater toll on your psyche… Damn it." He threw down the controller when Elena managed to take him out.

"You shouldn't have killed Jeremy," she laughed.

"I see the video games are making you feel better," Jeremy leaned back on the couch.

"Well, it's not making it worse," Elena sighed. She tucked her hair behind her ear and folded her legs under her body before turning her attention to Kol. "How long does it take these memories to come back?"

"Usually a week," Kol shrugged. "That's the longest I've ever seen it take." He tilted his head and ran his eyes over her face. "When's the last time you fed, love?"

Elena lifted her hand to her face and felt the vein throbbing beneath her eyes. She shrugged non-committedly before climbing to her feet and walking around them to the kitchen. She returned a moment later with a couple of blood bags and offered one to Kol.

"Thanks," he opened it and sipped the blood as would have a juice box.

Jeremy watched his sister down half the bag before shaking his head.

"I know you have to drink it," he sighed, "but it still freaks me out when I see you drinking blood."

"It's only been two days, Jeremy," Kol rested his elbow on the armrest of the couch, "give her time. You'll get used to it."

* * *

Elena paused when she stepped into her bedroom. It was like watching a movie there she stood with Damon a few feet in front of her.

She ground her teeth together when she realized what she was remembering. Damon had told her he loved her and then compelled her to forget the event. Somehow she didn't think that this was the memory he was dreading her remembering.

Shaking her head she walked into her bathroom to get ready for bed.

* * *

_"I won't do it Damon," she shook her head vehemently. Holding up her hands she pushed away the silver dagger he was trying to press into her hands. "She's just a girl who lost her mother and had to grow up way too fast. I'm not going to hurt her."_

_"Yes, you are," Damon advanced until she was backed against a wall. He caught her eyes and pushed the dagger into her hand. "You are going to drive this through Rebekah's heart because you know it's the only thing you can do. In fact it was your idea," his lips quirked up into a smirk._

_Behind him Elena saw Stefan shake his head disapprovingly, but he made no move to stop her when she went upstairs._

* * *

_"And what do I want, oh stranger who has all the answers?" She tilted her head and smiled._

_He smirked and ran his eyes up and down her body. "You want a love that consumes you. You want passion and adventure, and even a little bit of danger." He stepped forward until he was staring directly into her eyes. "I want you to get everything you're looking for, but for right now, I want you to forget that this happened."_

* * *

She bolted upright in the bed and gasped for air her body no longer needed.

Damon had compelled her. He had compelled her to forget meeting him first. He had compelled her to dagger Rebekah and to subsequently forget it; probably because he remembered what she had done when he compelled her to dagger Elijah.

She flopped back against her pillow and plucked her phone from the nightstand. She didn't realize what she was doing until she had pressed the call button. She hastened to end the call before dropping her phone onto her bed and burying her face under the covers.

She wasn't sure how long it took her to fall asleep. All she knew was that when she woke up she had a new memory of Esther and Finn Mikaelson.

* * *

"I hate your brother," Elena dropped into an armchair across from Kol. He had been spending a lot of time there recently.

"You'll have to be a tad more specific, darling," he glanced up from his book, "I have three of them. And since your hatred of Nik is well known I'm assuming we're talking about one of the others."

"Finn," Elena tossed her legs over the arm and spun in the chair. "Did you know he compelled me to comply with your mom's crazy ritual?"

"I thought you were on vervain at that point?" Kol finally closed his book and leaned forward.

"Apparently it can be 'easily remedied by hibiscus and mug wort'," she did her best to mimic his mother's voice.

"Yeah," Kol nodded, "that would do it. Terrible accent by the way."

"Oh shut up," she grumbled. "What are you doing here anyway? Jeremys at work."

"Getting away from Nik," Kol shrugged. He leaned back and picked up his book again. "He's rather upset with Rebekah for driving you off that bridge. I thought I'd 'hang out' here in case he gets dagger happy." He lifted his gaze to Elena who had twisted in the chair to face him with a raised brow. "Do you want me to leave, love?"

Elena tilted her head and twisted her lips into a grimace. "Nah," she shook her head, "you're nice company."

"Bet you never thought you'd say that about an Original," Kol smirked.

"Bet you never thought you'd say the words 'hang out'," she returned.

"You'd win that bet," he chuckled. They lapsed into a comfortable silence.

* * *

Elijah's grip on the steering wheel was white-knuckled. He had to force himself to relax before he crushed the device beneath his hands; that would make getting back to Mystic Falls much more difficult.

Three days ago he had been in Rome on business when it happened. In the middle of a meeting his wrist had grown warm. The heat had only increased until he was surprised his suit hadn't caught on fire; it had certainly felt like fire was licking at his skin.

He had immediately excused himself and started making calls. When he hadn't been able to reach her or any of his siblings he's called and had the plane readied for an eminent departure; that had still taken longer than he would have liked because of engine trouble.

His heart had dropped into his stomach when the fire had ceased and ice water ran through his veins. He might have known next to nothing about soulmates and their marks, but he did know that the fire and ice was not a good sign. Something had happened to her; he knew it as he knew his own name.

He was certain she had been hurt. It was like when he spotted smoke somewhere in the distance; he knew that smoke would lead to a fire… and nine times out of ten Kol as well.

The mark had returned to normal before the plane had stopped to refuel in Greenland. The lack of any feeling at all was worse than the ice.

He had tried calling again but still nobody answered.

Mystic Falls was still five hours away, and he dreaded what he would find.

* * *

"You okay, 'Lena?" Jeremy watched her shuffle around the kitchen in the early morning light. He had been roused by the sounds of clanging and the smell of chocolate. "You only bake when you're stressed."

Elena shook her head and pulled the double chocolate muffins from the oven. "I've just…" she shook her head and popped the muffins onto the cooling rack, "… I've just got this feeling that something bad is coming. Something that's going to break me to pieces."

She slid the tray of blueberry muffins in the oven and dropped the pot holder on the counter. "I'm going to go grab the mail," she called sharply over her shoulder, "don't eat the muffins they're too hot."

She managed to pull the front door open before she realized that she had stepped into another compelled memory. Tilting her head in confusion she watched Klaus brace his hands on the swing and catch her human gaze.

Elena's eyes grew round before narrowing. If looks could have killed the memory of Klaus would have gone up in smoke. She spun on her heel and slammed the front door closed behind her.

Glass shattered with the force of the impact and brought Jeremy careening around the corner with a muffin in hand.

"What happened?" He backed away when Elena turned her deadly glare on him.

She couldn't answer right then. She knew if she did she would likely take out all of her anger on Jeremy and it was not her baby brother's fault. Instead she shook her head and stormed up the stairs.

The memories were back, and she was pissed off. She took it out on her dresser. When it laid in ruins on her bedroom floor she exhaled slowly and pulled out her phone.

_"It's a little early, darling."_

Elena couldn't find it in her to feel bad for waking him. "I need a favor."

_"I didn't realize we h-h-had that kind of relationship."_

"Look I'm sorry for waking you," her tone implied that she was anything but. "I know you've only been awake half a year but I figured if anyone can get me a lawyer quickly it's you. Surely Klaus has some on retainer."

_"What do you need?"_

"The house shifted into Jeremy's name," Elena could tell he was more awake when he agreed.

_"I'll be there in an hour."_

* * *

Elena pulled open the door and stepped aside to let Kol in.

"Here," he passed her a rolled stack of paper, "all you have to do is sign."

It took less than ten minutes to get Jeremy to sign the papers. Elena immediately felt dizzy and was immensely grateful when Kol guided her out onto the porch.

"Thanks," she straightened up and turned back to her brother.

"Come on in," Jeremy called from the living room.

Elena could hear the amusement in his voice when she and Kol strode inside.

"Are you going to tell me why you did this?" Jeremy nodded to the pages on the coffee table.

"Let's just say I want to limit the number of vampires with access to my house," Elena grumbled.

"Compelled memories came back then?" Kol unzipped his jacket and followed the siblings into the kitchen.

"Yes," she leaned against the counter and ripped off the muffin liner.

Elena wondered idly when Kol had become an integral part of her life. When had he become comfortable enough to simply take a muffin without being asked?

"This is delicious," he swallowed a mouthful of chocolate. "More cake than muffin though."

"Calling it a muffin means I can eat it for breakfast," Elena reasoned.

"Fair point," Kol chuckled.

"So what vampire is it you really wanted to keep out?" Jeremy poured a mug of coffee and sat on a stool. "You seemed ticked off when you came back inside."

Elena stole his coffee and downed half of the mug. She sighed when the caffeine hit her system and felt her shoulders slump. She was about to answer when Kol's phone started ringing.

"Hello?" He mumbled around the bite of muffin.

Elena felt her blood run cold when she recognized the voice on the other end of the line. The feeling was coupled with the rage curled at the base of her spine.

_"About bloody time! I've been calling for three days."_

"Is there a problem, Elijah?" A line appeared between Kol's brows when he saw Elena's wide eyes.

_"Do you know where Elena is?"_

Elena shook her head frantically and waved her hands in a gesture that clearly said 'no, don't you dare tell him'.

Kol tilted his head but nodded all the same.

"I haven't Nik's little human blood bag in three days," Kol leaned against the counter. "Why? Where are you?"

_"I'll be at the mansion in five minutes."_

"I guess I'll see you later then," Kol disconnected the call. "Why did I just lie to my brother?"

"Because," Elena reached into the fridge and pulled out a small vial of green liquid, "there is something to be said for the element of surprise." She took a sip and forced herself to swallow when it burned its way down her throat.

Before Kol had a chance to stop her she had disappeared through the back door.

"So," Jeremy sat down his mug and sighed, "I'm assuming he compelled her at some point in time."

"It must have been bad," Kol nodded. He had seen indignation when Elena had remembered Finn's compulsion, but he knew she and Elijah had some sort of alliance. He could only imagine the betrayal she was feeling. "I'm gonna go and make sure she doesn't get herself killed."

"You really think he'd kill her?" Jeremy stood.

"No," Kol shook his head, "but Nik would."

* * *

"What the bloody hell happened?" Elijah flashed into the study where his brother was brooding. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to suppress his exasperated sigh when he saw Rebekah stretched out with a dagger in her heart.

"I'm going to need some specifics," Klaus stared at the bottom of his glass. "A lot has happened since you left town."

"Elena Gilbert," Elijah's eyes narrowed. The panic settled in his chest and refused to dissipate. His brother's next words made his blood run cold; he was genuinely surprised he didn't desiccate on the spot.

"She died," Klaus downed his bourbon, "three days ago our darling sister forced the doppelganger over the side of Wickery Bridge. Elena Gilbert drowned along with my hope for an army."

The anger curled into a tight ball in the pit of his stomach.

"You were supposed to keep her alive," Elijah roared. "You were supposed to protect her."

Klaus' eyes widened when he found himself pinned to the wall beneath his older brother's hand. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen Elijah's vampire visage; normally he was the image of self-control.

Kol blinked in surprise when he walked in on the scene. He clung to the edge of the room to avoid his brawling brothers. Perhaps he had been wrong and Elena wasn't coming here; why else would he have beaten her to the mansion. Or perhaps she had made a stop along the way.

He ducked out of the way of flying wood and knelt beside the prone body of his sister. He had just removed the silver dagger when he heard the soft footsteps that indicated a fifth body in the room.

Kol lifted his eyes in time to see Elena examining the scene. He knew by the set of her shoulders that she was about to do something very foolish.

Elijah threw Klaus across the room into a book case. He was about to approach again when there was a whoosh of air. His mouth opened in shock when he saw her standing in front of him with a new lapis lazuli ring on her finger.

"Elena?" He dropped the iron fire poker he had been brandishing and took a step closer. Her eyes flashed when he looked down.

His eyes widened in surprise when the sting spread over his cheek. He was fairly certain she broke his jaw. The bones healed quickly. Before he could say anything to her she had flashed away.

Elijah lifted his hollow gaze to Klaus.

"You didn't tell me she transitioned."

"You didn't ask," Klaus stood up and started brushing wood chips from his shoulders.

"I asked you what happened and you said she died," Elijah exhaled sharply. He could still feel the sting of her palm.

"What did you do?" Kol pocketed the dagger and turned his inquisitive gaze to his older brother.

"You said you hadn't seen her," Elijah spun on Kol.

"I said I hadn't seen Nik's blood bag," Kol shrugged, "and I hadn't." He stood up and blocked Elijah's path before he could flash from the room. "Seriously," he held out his arms in the door frame, "what did you do? I thought you two always got along."

"Get out of the way Kol," he clenched his hands into fists and resisted the urge to punch his baby brother's jaw.

"You want some advice?"

"Not particularly," Elijah spat.

"I'm going to give it to you anyway," Kol grinned. "I haven't got a clue what you did to Elena, but I'd give her some time to cool off."

"That slap wouldn't have anything to do with the memory you asked me to compel away would it?" Klaus crossed his arms. He could feel blood clinging to his temple.

Elijah's glare was more than enough of an answer. He pushed Kol out of the way before speeding away.

"What memory?" Kol sighed and turned to Klaus.

"What happened?" Rebekah sat up and gasped.

"Kol…" Klaus inhaled slowly, "… where's the dagger?" He took a menacing step towards his little brother.

Rebekah pushed her hair back from her eyes and licked her dry lips. Based on the amount of hunger in her body she surmised that she had only been under the dagger for a very short period of time.

"You know what?" Kol held up his hands and backed up. "I'll just ask Elena later." He ran before Klaus could catch him.

Rebekah was on her feet and in the kitchen downing a bag of blood before Klaus could get it in his head to fetch another dagger from the safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think so far...


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own TVD or TO.

"Good to see you're still alive," Jeremy flopped onto the couch beside her, "Kol seemed convinced he would have to intervene on your behalf. Are you going to tell me what Elijah did that was so bad?"

Elena kicked off her shoes and propped her feet in his lap. Crossing her arms over her chest she tipped her head against the armrest and glared at the ceiling. The ceiling fan made lazy circular sweeps that seemed to calm her rather volatile emotions the longer she stared at it.

"Elena," he swatted her legs with a throw pillow, "what was so bad?"

She took a deep breath and shook her head to signify that she did not, under any circumstances, want to talk about it. How could she tell her brother of all people that he soulmate hadn't wanted her? She remembered that day clearly now. It had taken him moments to decide he hadn't wanted her; moments to decide to remove her memory.

The depressing thing was that she had started to develop feelings for him anyway. Her betrayal had torn her apart and learning that Finn had actually been the one behind it had brought a flood of relief to her chest.

Elijah was the one person in the world meant for her and he had tossed her aside. Why? Was it because she looked like the others? Was it because she bore the faces of those he had loved before?

She felt tears blur her vision when she thought of the past he must have had with Katherine. Did he want her doppelganger instead of her? Everyone else did, so why not him? Or was he pining for Tatia?

"Elena?"

She could hear the concern in Jeremy's voice, but her vision was too obscured to see it on his face. Before he could pull her into his arms she ran at vampire speed, slammed her bedroom door shut, and collapsed face down on her bed.

With her face buried in her pillow and her mind occupied with her own thoughts she was deaf to the conversation happening a floor below.

* * *

Jeremy blinked in surprise at the empty couch. He wasn't sure if he would ever get used to her newfound speed. The door that slammed in the upstairs hallway told him where she had gone, but it was still a shock that she had gotten there so quickly.

He was going to follow her when the knock sounded on the door.

A line appeared between his brows when he saw who stood on the opposite side of the threshold.

"What do you want?" Jeremy braced his hands on the frame and glared. It was probably a bad idea to snap at a being so ancient, but he had hurt his sister.

"I'm looking for Elena," Elijah cleared his throat. Had he been human there would have been a definite flush creeping up his neck under the younger Gilbert's stare.

_Did she tell him? No… he would have attacked by now._ He probably would have let him as well. Had someone done to Rebekah what he had done to Elena than Elijah would have torn the person apart.

"She's not here," Jeremy lied.

Elijah didn't need to hear the uptick in Jeremy's heart to know he was lying to him. He could make out the distant sound of sniffling coming from her bedroom at the back of the house. Sorrow clawed at his chest; he knew he was the one responsible for her tears.

"I know she's here, Jeremy," Elijah moved to take a step forward and found himself trapped outside.

"Fine," Jeremy muttered. He resisted the urge to step back and relaxed a bit when he remembered Elijah couldn't enter the house. "Elena's here, but she doesn't want to talk to you."

"Why can't I enter the house?" Elijah fought to keep his voice level. Every instinct was screaming at him to rush to Elena's side.

"Elena signed over the house to me," he stepped back as if to close the door and stumbled when a rush of wind moved past him.

"Sorry, mate," Kol caught Jeremy's arm, "I had to outrun Nik." He sat down a bag in the kitchen before returning to the entry.

"You have an invitation?" Elijah's eyes grew round when he saw his baby brother.

"I happen to be good friends with these two," Kol nodded. He stepped out of the way when Jeremy moved to the stairs.

"I'm gonna go and check on Elena."

Kol waited until Jeremy was out of earshot before leaning against the stairs and leveling his brother with a quizzical look. His foot tapped out a quick rhythm on the glass strewn floor.

"What did you do?"

"I am not discussing this with you, Kol," Elijah slid his hands into his pockets. He heard Elena yell at Jeremy to go away.

"Alright then," Kol nodded, "I'm fairly certain Elena would want me to slam the door in your face now." He didn't wait for Elijah's response before doing just that and flashing up the stairs to stand outside her bedroom door with Jeremy.

"She threw a book at me," Jeremy emphasized the statement by rubbing his arm where the book must have hit.

"Luckily I'm a tad more impervious to such things," Kol smirked before twisting the doorknob.

* * *

Was it too much to ask that someone want her and her alone? Was it too much to ask?

Part of her wanted to go back to that little human girl whose biggest problem was passing her chemistry test and getting a date to the decade dance.

She wanted to think about clothes and shoes, and stupid boys who didn't matter in the long run.

She wanted to forget that she was a doppelganger. She wanted to forget that there was another woman in the world who wore her face, and had been loved by her soulmate. She wanted to forget that she had a soulmate.

She didn't want to deal with the transition or think about all that had been taken from her.

She wanted to forget. She wanted to go back to a time when she had never known about vampires and werewolves and hybrids. She wanted things to be simple again.

The other part of her, the part that was logical and not weighed down by stinging betrayal and heartbreak, knew that she couldn't go back. She could only go forward towards the unknown.

Part of her knew exactly what her feelings for him had been. She couldn't bring herself to say it though because then the part of her that knew it would remind her that in spite of what he had done she still felt the same way.

Elena didn't want to think about that. She didn't want to think about how she had fallen for him because then she would have to think about how he clearly didn't feel the same way.

"Go away, Jeremy," she mumbled into her pillow when the door opened. When it didn't immediately close again she swiped a Knick knack from her night stand and lobbed it in the direction of her baby brother.

"Not Jeremy, darling," Kol caught the ceramic angel and put it on her book shelf.

Elena grumbled something unintelligible when the bed dipped. Warmth from his body reached her. She lifted her head a fraction of an inch and peered through one bloodshot eye to find him stretched out on his back with one arm behind his head and the other slung across his stomach.

She closed her eyes and turned her face away from him.

"Do you want to talk about it, darling?" He lifted his hand to lay on her shoulder and smiled when she didn't push him away. At least she wasn't holding what his brother had done against him.

"No," she drew in a shuddering breath.

"Do you want to talk about anything?"

"No," her voice was a strained whisper. If she couldn't tell her own brother that her soulmate didn't want her how could she tell his?

"Do you want to break some more windows?" Kol chuckled when he thought of the shattered glass downstairs. "I've got Nik's credit card so all of the repairs are on him."

Elena couldn't stop the hysterical giggle that bubbled up. She rolled onto her back and shook her head.

"Aww, come on," Kol nudged her ribs with his elbow, "it's the least he can do considering he tried to kill you with that ritual. Seriously," he held up the black plastic, "there's no limit on this thing. You could redo the entire house, or hop on a plane for a vacation anywhere in the world."

"Don't tempt me," she swiped at her wet cheeks, "I don't think I'd ever come back."

"Oh, well," Kol slid the card into his pocket, "if you're going to run away I'd suggest compulsion instead; it leaves less of a paper trail. Of course… that would require getting around Elijah who I am fairly certain is still on the front porch."

He saw the anger flash across her face as well as an unreadable emotion in her eyes that made his heart clench almost painfully in his chest. He knew she could hear his brother's reply as clear as he could by the way her brows knit together.

_"Elena, please… just give me a chance to explain."_

She knew folding her pillow over her ears was a futile attempt at blocking out his voice. It was a childish move, but in that moment she didn't care. It made her feel a little better, like she was doing something without actually having to face him.

_"Elena?"_

Kol took the liberty of answering for her while sliding an arm under her body to hold her shoulders. "She doesn't want to talk to you… and judging by the way she's covering her ears she doesn't want to listen either."

* * *

Elijah's eyes narrowed when he heard his little brother's voice and the unmistakable sound of shifting bedsprings. He knew they were talking upstairs but he hadn't realized Kol had climbed into the bed with her.

He didn't have to analyze why the image upset him. He knew very well that he was jealous. He wondered how 'good' of a friend Kol was to Elena.

Kol had clearly lied for her when he had called. He appeared to be one of the few vampires with an invitation to the house.

Rage burned through his veins when he heard Elena wrap her arm over his brother's torso. Elijah knew he had only himself to blame for his current predicament.

He had only wanted to protect her and respect her wish to remain human. He had only wanted to keep her safe and what had he done? He had driven her into his little brother's arms.

The sound of a gentle kiss being pressed to smooth skin was the last straw for him. He couldn't stay there and listen. He sped away just as Jeremy was stepping into the living room with the phone to his ear.

* * *

"Come on, darling," Kol pulled her over to his chest and kissed her forehead, "I've got just the thing that will cheer you up."

_"He's gone."_ Jeremy called from the living room.

Elena didn't know whether to feel sad or relieved that he had left her alone. Part of her wanted to have the discussion. Part of her wanted to ask him what he had been thinking. The other part wanted to stay as far from him as possible.

"That wouldn't happen to be a tropical vacation on a remote island somewhere I'll never be found?"

"Is that what you want?" Kol sat up and turned to smirk at her. "I can have us on a plane in less than three hours."

"Seriously?" Elena sat up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Sure, why not?" Kol shrugged. "You, me and Jeremy. We could snag Caroline on the way by. It would be nice to get away for a bit."

Elena covered her mouth with her fingers at the giddy light in his eyes.

"Okay," she nodded slowly, "but on one condition: I don't have to talk about it."

"Deal," Kol grinned. He jumped to his feet and tossed her duffle bag on the bed. "You and Jeremy pack for somewhere warm and I'll be back in a half hour."

Elena climbed to her feet and started pulling clothes from drawers. She put very little thought into what she packed only stopping to make sure she had her bathing suit and essential toiletries while texting Caroline.

She was surprised when she found Caroline outside her front door with Kol a few seconds later.

* * *

"Okay," Caroline crossed her arms and leaned against her door frame, "I understand why Elena might be in need of a vacation, she's had a crazy year and a half, but why am I going."

Kol shook his head and sighed before explaining Elena's returned memories. "She won't talk to her brother or me… I thought she might talk to you."

Caroline frowned and flashed upstairs.

"You've got no idea what he did?" She continued the conversation as she packed her bag.

"None," Kol leaned against her porch rail, "all I know is that she's very shaken up about it."

* * *

"That was fast," Elena sat down her bag and pulled on her jacket.

"I'm a vampire, Elena," Caroline slid into the back seat with her friend, "and you know me… I've always got an emergency bag packed."

Kol shook his head and chuckled. He threw the bags in the back of Elena's Ford and snagged the keys before climbing into the driver's seat; the moment Jeremy was settled in the front he threw the car into gear and took off.

* * *

Elena held her hands behind her back and dragged her toes through the pink sand. Maybe she should have asked how Kol had procured a private beach in the Caribbean, but she was too rattled to care if it was a family property or if he had used compulsion.

It didn't matter anyway. All that mattered was she was thousands of miles from Mystic Falls and the vampire who had shattered her heart into a million pieces.

She was almost tempted to tell Kol the truth and ask him to make her forget. Hadn't oblivion been so much better?

She wouldn't do it though. She wanted him to live with the knowledge that she knew exactly what he had done.

Elena plopped down in the cool sand and watched the moonlight glitter off the rolling waves. She was close enough to the water that the surf brushed over her toes.

The serenity of the water was interrupted by her cell phone. She extracted the device from her pocket and inhaled sharply when she saw the caller ID.

Caroline read the screen over Elena's shoulder and sat down when her friend hurled her cell phone into the sea.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She lowered her beach bag into the sand and whipped her blond hair up into a messy bun.

"Nope," Elena lifted her knees and wrapped her arms around them, "where are Kol and Jer?"

"Playing some video game," Caroline shrugged.

"Figures," Elena closed her eyes and huffed, "we're in quite possibly the most beautiful place in the world and they're playing a game."

"I'm sure they'll enjoy it more in the sunlight," Caroline exhaled. "Since you don't want to talk about it," she reached into her bag, "do you want to get drunk and go swimming?" She lifted a couple of bottles of alcohol.

"Rum?" Elena took one and read the label.

"Seemed fitting," Caroline uncapped her bottle and took a swig, "we are in the Caribbean."

"We're in the Caribbean," Elena laughed and took a swig, "not  _Pirates of the Caribbean._  Wow… that's strong."

Caroline giggled and lifted her own bottle. "It has to be," she snickered, "you're still new to this, but it takes a lot to get drunk now."

* * *

Elijah paused when he arrived at the Gilbert house several hours later. He parked his car behind a white van and eyed the 1963 Red Porsche. He walked at a human pace for the benefit of the men on Elena's front porch.

"Stefan," Elijah greeted the younger vampire.

"Evening Elijah," Stefan kept an eye on the repairmen who were just finished the front window. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to speak with Elena," Elijah gazed into the house. His heart stuttered when he couldn't hear her. The hope that Jeremy had taken her car somewhere was quickly fading.

"She's not here," Stefan pulled out a key and locked the door behind the departing humans. "Jeremy called and asked me to oversee the repairs because he and Elena were leaving town for a while." He signed off on the bill and tucked the paper into his pocket before turning to Elijah. "You have any idea what happened to the window?"

Elijah shook his head.

"Did Jeremy say where they were going," his eyes tracked the men as they climbed into the van, "or when they were coming back?"

"No," Stefan started towards his car, "I got the impression Jeremy wasn't sure of that either."

Elijah exhaled slowly when he was back in his car. He had known Kol was right when he'd said to give her space, but not knowing where she was ate away at his mind. He had pressed the call button before he could overthink the action.

It took a moment before the call went to voicemail.

"Elena," he closed his eyes and ran a hand back through his hair, "please call me back. I need to know you're safe… please?" Elijah couldn't remember the last time his emotions had bled through his voice.

He took a few deep breaths before dialing the second number.

_"Hello?"_ Elijah frowned when he heard what sounded like gunfire in the background.

"Kol," he struggled to keep his voice level. "Is Elena with you?" He tried not to think about the memory of their voices drifting from her bedroom.

_"I haven't seen her in a while."_

"Do you kno…" Elijah seethed when the call disconnected before he could ask.

* * *

"Are you going to tell her Elijah called?" Jeremy took a drink of his water.

"Knowing Elijah he probably called her first," Kol shrugged. "Do you think Caroline's having better luck?" He paused the game and turned his gaze to the beach where he could just make out the distant silhouettes of two women.

Even Jeremy could hear the loud shrieks when the girls ran into the surf.

"I think Caroline's going to need a little more time," Jeremy shrugged, "and a lot more booze. Elena gets 'giggly' and then brutally honest. I don't know how long it would take her now though."

"How long did it used to take her?"

"She was a bit of a light weight," Jeremy leaned back on the couch; "one strong drink or two beers would have done it."

"You'll find her tolerance a lot higher now," Kol shook his head before returning to the game.

* * *

"You're still here?" Rebekah paused on the stairs when she saw her big brother coming in the front door.

"Of course I'm still here," Elijah tore off his jacket. "Where else would I be?"

Rebekah leaned against the railing and attempted to make sense of the storm she could see brewing in his eyes.

"I honestly had no idea," she tilted her head, "Nik said the plane had been taken; I just assumed you had left."

"Well as you can clearly see," he held out his hands, "I did not." He froze in the process of pouring a drink.

Jeremy and Elena had vanished without a trace and no return in sight. Kol was unaccounted for, and the family plane had been taken.

"Did Niklaus happen to say where the plane went?" He lifted the tumbler of amber liquid and took a sip.

Rebekah shook her head and picked up a book before curling up on the sofa. "If you want to know pull up the flight path."

* * *

The sun was starting to crest over the horizon. Elena blinked against the dazzling display and turned her weary gaze from the turquoise water to the vivid pink sand. She stumbled with Caroline into the house and collapsed face down on the bed she had claimed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Elena has had to endure a lot. Don't worry though; she is not going to spend an eternity running as Katherine did. She will return home eventually, but she needs time to sort through all that has happened to her. She's only been a vampire a few days, so I'm thinking the trip will be a good time for Kol and Caroline to help her transition smoothly (as smoothly as possible anyway), and for Elena to tell them what happened... or for Kol to catch a glimpse of her soulmark and work it out for himself.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own TVD or TO.  
> I'm having so much fun writing this story. I've got it all planned out and the goal is to have it done before I go back to work in two weeks. I'm thinking the entire story will be between 10 and 15 chapters.

 

Elena made no attempt to stifle her yawn when she sat up and blinked against the afternoon sun beating through her windows. She leaned against the headboard and took a moment to survey the large room. She hadn't noticed the night before when she'd laid claim to it, but it was incredibly beautiful.

The furniture was all dark wood; not what she would have pictured for a house in the Caribbean, but beautiful nonetheless. She was sitting on top of the cream coloured comforter in a large sleigh bed; since she had thrown herself in the bed the decorative throw pillows were all behind her back in varying shades of white. There was a white armchair near the window and tall bookshelves along the wall at the foot of the bed.

She slid out of the bed and tiptoed across the room to run her fingertips over the spines of the books. Elena lifted a copy of Pride and Prejudice and scoffed when her suspicions were confirmed: it was a first edition; gold peacock feathers dusted the cover. She almost felt bad moving it to the bedside table to read later that night… almost.

She considered changing first but the persistent burn in her throat told her she'd better grab a bag of blood from the fridge before she went postal.

It was relatively unnerving how quickly she found herself in the kitchen. If she hadn't been so hungry she might have found the way Jeremy jumped, screamed and spilled his glass amusing. As it was his pounding heart made her fangs extend. Her eyes zeroed in on the fluttering vein in his neck while her mouth watered.

"Shit, Elena," Jeremy gasped and wiped the water from his neck with a towel, "you scared me…" he trailed off when he saw the vein darken beneath her left eye. Silently he reached behind him without breaking eye contact and opened the fridge door. He snatched a random bag from the shelf and tossed it.

Elena's hands flashed up and caught the bag with ease. She knew she must have gotten some on her mouth when Jeremy rolled his eyes.

"Does that happen a lot?"

Elena spun on her heel and licked the cold blood from her lips.

Kol leaned against the counter and tilted his head. "It's been a few days, right?" He mirrored Elena's nod. "Have you tried feeding from a human yet?" He continued when she shook her head. "What about compulsion?"

* * *

"I don't know about this," Elena drew her bottom lip between her teeth and bit down. Her hands settled on the exposed skin of her hips as she surveyed the mass of sweaty bodies undulating on the floor of the club. The thick smell of sweat reached her nose.

"You'll be fine, darling," Kol slung an arm around her shoulders. "Caroline and I are both here with you."

"What if I can't stop?" Hesitation flashed in her eyes. She didn't want to hurt anyone.

"If that happens I will physically pull you off of them," Kol held his hand over his heart.

His tone was teasing but Elena saw in his eyes that he meant it. Slowly she nodded and turned her eyes back towards the dancefloor. She smoothed down the skirt of the black dress so the cut out sections revealed as much of her olive skin as possible. There was a sheer section that extended from the high necked halter to the heart shaped rhinestone belt displaying a tantalizing glimpse of cleavage without baring the skin.

"How do I do this?" She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

Caroline hooked arms with her and nodded to a group of college aged guys who were clearly hammered.

"Pick your victim," Kol followed her gaze, "get them somewhere semi-private and compel them not to scream."

"How do I know when to stop?" Elena's gaze locked on a tall guy with dark hair.

"It's all in the heart," Caroline explained quietly. She adjusted her gold mini dress while Kol explained that she should listen for when the heart slowed down before stopping and compelling them to forget what had happened.

Elena chewed her bottom lip before following Caroline onto the dancefloor between the writhing bodies. She wondered idly if anyone would notice a vampire feeding in the middle of the dancefloor at all.

She shivered when they reached the middle of the floor and followed Caroline's lead. It had been far too long since Elena had let loose and had fun. She would have been content to just dance with her friend, but she knew Kol had been correct; she needed to know how to feed from a human being in case the day ever came when she couldn't access blood bags.

Warm hands settled on her hips after a few moments and drew her back against a slim chest. Peeking over her shoulder through her eyelashes she caught a glimpse of the human's hooded grey eyes.

Her hips moved to the beat as she ground back against him and felt a hard bulge form against the curve of her bottom. Heat settled under his hands as she lost herself in the rhythm of the heavy bass for a moment. It had been a while since anyone had touched her like this either.

She spun in the man's arms and gave him a flirtatious wink before backing away. She could feel him following her through the crowd and caught Kol's inquisitive gaze from the bar; she nodded to signify that she was fine for the time being. Releasing a deep breath she made her way into the dark hall that led towards the bathroom.

Her lips lifted into a smirk when her body was spun around and pinned to the wall in one of the darkest parts of the hall. Her abdomen quivered with desire when he hooked his hand on the back of her left thigh and wrapped her leg around his waist.

She shook herself from her suddenly lust filled thoughts. That was not why she was here, but she would have been lying if she said his warm hand beneath her skirt on her outer thigh was not enticing.

Elena grasped the back of his neck before he could kiss her and met his dark grey eyes. She felt her own pupils dilating slightly, and was very grateful Jeremy had consented to being her guinea pig earlier so she'd been able to practice.

Compelling him to not scream she brought her lips to his neck. She heard him groan and felt him rock his hips against her. She tightened her leg around his waist and ran her tongue over her extended canines.

Elena heard the slight choking sound when her teeth punctured his neck. Warm copper exploded across her tongue as she drew heaping mouthfuls of his blood. It was exquisite really, she forgot about everything else until a strong hand grasped her elbow.

She blinked and tore her mouth from the man's neck. She heard his heart which had slowed stutter as he stumbled back and looked at her with a dazed look of horror.

Elena took heaving breaths and shook off Kol's hand so she could compel the man to forget what had happened. She saw him stumble back onto the dancefloor and blinked when she found herself outside the beach house.

"Is there a reason you flashed me from the club?" Elena lifted an eyebrow. She felt more alive than she had since she had died with the fresh blood coursing through her body.

"I didn't think it a good idea that you walk out with blood running down your chin," his dark eyes darted to her mouth. "A little around the lips could be called smudged makeup, but right now you resemble a serial killer."

Elena lifted her hand and wiped the blood from her chin. She giggled when her fingertips came back red. The thought that she had hurt the guy was the farthest thing from her mind; she needed more. Sucking her finger into her mouth she flashed around Kol and into the kitchen.

"Is she alright?" Caroline tucked a strand of hair behind her ear when she caught up with the two of them. Her eyes grew round when she followed Kol's gaze to find Elena draining her sixth bag of blood. "I don't think I've ever seen someone react to fresh blood like that."

Jeremy stumbled into the kitchen and rubbed the sleep from his eyes and watched his sister drain bag after bag of blood while giggling uncontrollably. He did his best to ignore the red stains around her mouth and focused on her slightly dazed eyes.

"Is she high?" He crossed his arms and resisted the urge to laugh.

"Why would you say that?" Kol cleaned up the empty bags.

"It looks like she's got the munchies," Jeremy moved behind the counter.

* * *

"In the future," Kol chuckled, "might I suggest better vetting your food."

"Oh, shut up," Elena smacked his chest with the back of her hand.

Elena propped herself on her elbows and glared when Caroline and Jeremy laughed. The last of the drugs had passed through her system a few hours after sunrise. She'd spent several hours sleeping off the effects before joining the group on the pink sand beach.

"It's not funny," she pouted.

"It was from where we were standing," Caroline snickered. "Or do you not remember filling your mouth with whipped cream and running down the street yelling 'I have rabies'?"

"I did not do that," Elena pulled her hair into a messy bun while shaking her head. She paled when Kol showed her the video on his phone.

"My personal favorite was when you found a stuffed purple pig," Jeremy smirked, "and yelled at it for ruining your life."

"No, no," Caroline shook her head and laughed. "The best was when she snuck back into the club and hid in a bathroom stall. Whenever someone walked in she would say 'ah young one, Welcome to Narnia'."

"How about when she hopped in a shopping cart and yelled 'the British are coming'?" Kol grinned and leaned away when she moved to swat him again. "Oh come on darling, it was hilarious from our side of things."

"And we got some nice blackmail for the rest of eternity," Caroline giggled. "I think I'm going to save these pictures for when I really want something from you… it might be tomorrow, or it might be in fifty years."

"I guarantee it will be when you least expect it," Kol promised.

"You guys are the worst," Elena groaned before flopping back onto her beach towel.

"Maybe," Kol nodded, "but you love us anyway," his lips quirked up in a wicked smirk when he looked at her.

Elena had just enough time to register the mischievous glint in his eye before she was thrown over his shoulder. Her hands curled into fists and beat lightly on his back.

"Put me down you oaf," she shrieked even as a grin took over her face. She screamed when he ran into the water. "Don't put me down," Elena laughed when he moved to drop her.

"As you wish, darling."

She heard the smirk in his voice and held her breath when he fell backwards and the water crashed over their heads.

Elena rolled out of his arms and splashed him when they were joined by Caroline who tackled Kol and helped Elena hold him underwater.

"Are you two trying to drown me?" He came up sputtering.

"You're a thousand year old vampire," Jeremy walked into the crashing waves, "you can't drown… well, you can't die from drowning."

Kol shook his head and laughed. When he was upright again he helped Elena right herself and moved to lift a strand of seaweed from her neck. His brows knit together when he spotted the lettering behind her left ear.

He didn't get a close enough look before Caroline challenged her to a race to the buoy and back.

Jeremy watched them go before turning to Kol.

* * *

"What is taking so long?" Elijah attempted a smile to soften his harsh tone.

"I was told to halt the plane," the pilot answered. He was used to impatient passengers; it happened often when you flew private planes for the wealthy.

"Isn't the point of a private plane to avoid these delays?" Elijah buttoned his jacket and glared.

"Only when all the passengers are on board."

Elijah took a deep breath before turning to his sister. He frowned when Klaus appeared behind her and sealed the door.

"What are you two doing here?" He took a seat when the plane finally began to move.

"Nik wants to find Kol," Rebekah crossed her legs and tapped the armrest, "who has apparently absconded with all of the daggers, and I'm always up for a tropical vacation."

* * *

Elena leaned against the bar and waited for the bartender to turn around. Her eyes widened when he did.

"That's unfortunate," she couldn't stop herself from saying the words marked across his brow in block letters. Elena struggled to stifle her laughter and read his name tag.

"Yeah," Dave nodded good naturedly, "I've heard that one before."

"I bet you have," Elena giggled.

"Hey, 'Lena," Caroline bounced up, "did you get the sh…" she trailed off when she saw Dave, "… that's unfortunate."

"Twice in ten minutes," Dave laughed, "that's a new record. Any chance I've matched up with either of you?" He tilted his head and cocked a heavy eyebrow.

"Sorry, Dave," Elena shook her head, "my soul words are very… out of the ordinary."

"My soulmate's destined to ruin my birthday," Caroline shrugged.

"I guess that was too much to ask," Dave shook his head with a smile, "that one of the two beautiful women to approach me today was my other half."

"Sorry Dave," Caroline smirked. "Don't worry you'll find them someday."

"Your soulmates out there somewhere," Elena grinned.

"Thank you, ladies," he chuckled. "Now, what can I get for you?"

"We were thinking shots," Elena grinned.

"Tequila please," Caroline grinned and slapped down a piece of black plastic, "two bottles, four shot glasses, salt, and a bowl of limes."

"That's a lot of alcohol for the two of you," he raked his eyes over their petite frames while prepping the order.

"Don't worry," Elena inclined her head to where Kol and Jeremy were sitting at a table by the pool, "we're not drinking alone."

* * *

Rebekah flashed into the house and deposited her bag in her bedroom. She was walking down the hall when she spotted the open door and slightly rumpled bedspread. She peaked into the bedroom and eyed the duffle bag on the chair and the book marked copy of Pride and Prejudice on the nightstand.

She shook her head before leaving and pausing outside of another open door. The bed was perfectly made but it was clear someone had laid claim to it as well. The sparkling dress hanging from the closet door and violet luggage was a dead giveaway.

At the foot of the stairs she paused and took in the sight of Elijah angrily crushing his phone in his hand and Klaus ripping open drawers.

"You're not going to find them just lying around," Rebekah crossed her arms and leaned her hip against the rail. "Kol is smarter than that. By the way," she rolled her eyes when Klaus glared at her, "your bedrooms have been taken over."

"What makes you say that?" Klaus slammed shut the desk drawer.

"Someone is either sleeping in your bedroom," she smirked, "or you've decided to start wearing mini dresses."

She laughed when he flashed up the stairs.

Elijah's steps were slower. He ascended the stairs at a human pace and felt his heart flutter at the familiar scent that grew stronger the farther he went. He closed his eyes and swallowed when he stepped into his room and was surrounded by her. Smoothing out the bedspread he inhaled the rising combination of jasmine and something that was entirely Elena Gilbert.

"My bed smells like vanilla," Klaus grumbled from down the hall.

Elijah forced himself to retreat from the room and leaned against his brother's open door.

"That dress is really not your colour," he nodded to the sequined fabric Klaus was picking up from the floor.

"I resent that," he smirked, "everything is my colour." He hung the dress back up before pulling the door shut. "They are definitely staying here. Are you going to tell me what you did to anger the doppelganger or not?"

"I'd rather speak with her," his eyes found his door. He was able to relax marginally now that he knew she was safe, or that she had been safe recently.

* * *

Kol gave Caroline an inquisitive look when the first bottle was gone. Elena had yet to realize that the rest of them had stopped drinking and that she alone had downed three quarters of the second bottle; she had been giggling wildly at everything for the past twenty minutes.

Caroline nodded minutely and leaned against the table to catch the brunette's glassy eyes. "So, 'Lena…" her voice was conspiratorial when she poured another shot, "… I heard you slapped an Original and lived to tell the tale."

"He had it coming," she slammed back the shot and giggled. "I owe Klaus one too," Elena slurred, "but that's for a different reason."

"Nik I get," Kol nodded with a short laugh, "he's done all manner of despicable things, but I always thought you and 'Lijah got along."

"Only cause I didn't remember what he did," Elena's eyes were slightly unfocused when she tapped the table.

"What did he do?" Jeremy leaned back in his chair and tilted his head. He had only taken two shots of tequila so he was relatively sober compared to his drinking buddies.

"Something bad," she crossed her arms and laid her head on the table.

"Well we figured that," Caroline rolled her eyes and mimicked Elena's position so she could look into her friend's unfocused eyes.

Kol's eyes landed on her neck. He could just make out the thin cursive letters that spelled out the word 'impossible'. His eyebrows rose when he tapped the table; whatever Elijah had done to her, the mark on her neck made it a million times worse.

"I think we're asking the wrong questions," Kol gave his sober companions a knowing look. "Elena… what were my brother's first words to you?"

Elena lifted her head as the hot anger curled at the base of her spine. Her hand slid around the back of her neck and pulled her hair over her right shoulder.

"Read for yourself," she frowned and blinked back the sudden onslaught of angry tears.

"No?" Caroline leaned back with wide eyes. Her fingers came up to her shoulder.  _What are the odds?_

"Yes," Elena's voice was bitter, "you were right. My soulmate is a vampire, and I was right too… he knew my doppelganger before me…"

"Both of them," Kol breathed. He rubbed the back of his neck.

Elena picked up a lime wedge and traced the rind with her fingernail. She focused on the bright fruit in the flickering light from the torches while speaking.

"He made me forget," she whispered so low that Jeremy had to lean closer to hear, "less than a minute after finding out." She knew it had been longer than a minute, but she was mad and exaggeration was her best friend at that point in time.

"Well," Caroline's mouth gaped as she tried to think of the right thing to say. "I… I was not expecting that."

"Makes whatever yours is gonna do on your birthday seem trivial," Elena blinked as the drunken haze started to lift.

"I thought he was going to kill me on my birthday," Caroline poured herself another shot when she felt Elena's inquisitive gaze. "Yeah… I found him," she downed the alcohol for added courage, "I didn't tell him. Healing me only went so far after he tried to kill my best friend."

"Oh my…" Elena's eyes grew round. "Was this your last birthday? The one where Tyler bit you?"

Caroline nodded and pushed her glass aside in favour of the bottle.

"Klaus!" Elena took the bottle and swallowed a mouthful.

"I'm out drinking with the soulmates of both of my brothers," Kol leaned back in his chair.

"Yes," Caroline nodded, "so it would seem." She lifted a finger and pointed it in his face. "Klaus will not be hearing about this from you."

"I won't tell him," Kol held up his hands.  _I'm going to give Elijah a good piece of my mind though._ "Are you going to tell him eventually?"

"How did he not realize on his own?" Elena was glad of the distraction from her own soulmate problems. She thought Klaus' fascination with Caroline made a lot more sense now.

"I'm thinking it's a common occurrence for people to ask if he's going to kill them," Caroline rolled her eyes.

"You'd be right there, love," Kol pulled his phone from his pocket. He found seven missed calls from Elijah along with a text message.

**Elijah – Where are you? I'm at the beach house with Niklaus and Rebekah.**

**I'll be back in a few.**

"I have to check on something back at the house," he stood and slipped his phone into his pocket.

"That's fine," Caroline nodded. "I think we're going to go for a midnight swim."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Elijah's not getting off the hook easily... But Rebekah and Klaus are going to have their own confrontations with Elena soon.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own TVD or TO.  
> I'm so glad everyone is enjoying the Kolena friendship. I'm having a lot of fun writing it. In my mind it's like Kol has been taken in by the Gilberts and they have kind of adopted him in turn. He sees Elena as a younger sister who he is very protective of when push comes to shove.  
> I think I said it earlier but in case I didn't Finn is not dead in this story.

It was the knowledge that the daggers were locked away where no vampire could reach them that gave Kol the added courage he needed to push the door open with enough force to leave a dent in the wall. His eyes narrowed into slits when he spotted Elijah and Klaus on the stairs. Before he had a chance to open his mouth a hand closed around his throat; his body was pinned to the wall as he stared into furious blue eyes.

"Where are the daggers Kol?" Klaus' hand tightened marginally.

"Locked away," he spat and shoved his brother off of him.

Klaus flew backwards and landed sprawled out on the stairs.

"I've got bigger issues to deal with right now," Kol's eyes flashed; he was surprised when Klaus actually stayed down. It might have had more to do with the way Kol turned his blazing eyes on Elijah.

"What the bloody hell were you thinking?" He didn't see Rebekah cringe at his tone. Kol couldn't remember the last time his voice had been that loud.

Elijah's eyes grew round. He took an involuntary step back when Kol advanced. He had seen his baby brother angry. He had seen his brother blood crazed. He had seen his brother vengeful. He had never seen his brother like this; he had never seen him indignant on behalf of someone else.

"Well?" Kol didn't wait for an answer before continuing. "You clearly weren't because if you were than you never would have compelled Elena to forget."

"Is this about the memory you had me make her forget?" Klaus dusted the splinters of wood from his shoulders.

Kol turned his blazing eyes to Klaus. "You compelled her?"

"He didn't know what he was making her forget," Elijah cleared his throat.

"Well I should hope not," Kol growled. "Even Nik knows soulmates are rare."

"What?" Klaus gaped. He cast his eyes from one brother to the next. "Elena Gilbert is your soulmate? You made me make her forget that?"

"The backstabbing doppelbitch," Rebekah glared. Her arms crossed over her chest. "Why am I not surprised? You always had a weakness for anyone with her face; and an even bigger one for women who would tear us apart."

"Rebekah," Elijah's voice was sharp. It held a warning that brokered no argument.

"She stabbed me in the back," she shrieked. "She worked with mother to orchestrate all of our deaths."

"She was compelled to do that," Kol cut in. A deadly sense of calm had overtaken him; it was the kind of calm that stilled the sea before a storm.

"She couldn't have been compelled," Elijah shook his head. The sting of her former betrayal hit his chest. "I made sure she was on vervain after having Niklaus compel her to forget."

"Vervain can be counteracted," Kol's hand curled into a fist. "Any skilled witch can alter the effects with mug wort and hibiscus. Mother forced the concoction down her throat and Finn compelled her." He lifted his eyes to Rebekah. "I wouldn't be surprised if one of the Salvatores compelled her to dagger you." He had known Elena for some time now and he knew she wouldn't have willingly harmed anyone; especially someone she had been getting along with so well.

"Every act committed against this family was forced," Kol shook his head.

Elijah couldn't have described the joy that filled his heart when he learned she had not wanted to harm them; that she hadn't wanted to comply with their mother.

"How did you know?" Elijah lifted his chin and leveled Kol with a stare.

"She told me," he couldn't stop the tight smirk. "I had to get her very drunk to even brooch the topic."

It was the smirk coupled with the memory of hearing Kol in Elena's bed that was the match to ignite his anger.

Kol ducked out of the way of the punch and threw one of his own.

* * *

Elena dove beneath the waves. In the light of the full moon she saw a few colourful fish dart out of the way of her body. She swam downwards and marvelled at how long she was able to stay under without breaking the surface for more air.

When she found the coral reef she swam up and took a few deep breaths before motioning to Caroline and Jeremy to join her.

Jeremy couldn't stay under as long as the girls but he still got a good look at the glowing coral.

Elena barely noticed him leaving them. She was too busy pointing to the schools of bioluminescent fish. She waved Caroline over when she found one that was a yellow brighter than the sun.

Her eyes grew round when the skin behind her ear burned. Tiny bubbles of air escaped her mouth as she made a beeline for the surface. Her hand grasped the back of her neck when she stood on the pink sand.

She didn't hear Caroline and Jeremy asking what was wrong before she took off at vampire speed.

* * *

Glass shattered and wood fractured. A pillow had been ripped at some point in the tussle so that when Elena jumped between the feuding brothers' white feathers clung to her glistening skin still wet from her midnight swim.

Rebekah glanced up from where she was filing her nails. She silently stood and took hesitant steps down into the living room. She felt Klaus beside her and knew he was doing the same as her. They were both taking in the sight of a dripping wet Elena Gilbert standing between their brothers with a hand on either to hold them back.

Elena looked at the blood clinging to Kol's temple. She knew by the look in his eyes that he had not gotten into a fight on his own behalf. The slight head shake would have been imperceptible to a human being but Kol saw it and held up his hands before backing away.

"Elena…" Elijah caught her wrist before she could lower her hand.

"Don't," she glared and tore her arm from his grasp.

Elena spun on her heel. The broken wood and glass crunched under her bare feet and sliced the soles. She paused at the door and crossed her arms when she found her path blocked. She was too worked up to register surprise when Klaus and Rebekah wordlessly stepped out of her way.

"Suffice it to say;" Kol took Elijah's handkerchief when she left and wiped the crimson blood from his temple, "she's angry. What were you thinking?" His voice had lost most of its anger and was now full of curiosity. He had seen some of the interactions before Elena had transitioned and heard of more; Kol was fairly certain she had feelings for his brother. He also knew she had a bit of a doppelganger complex and the knowledge that Elijah had a past with Katerina and Tatia could not have been sitting well with Elena.

"I wanted her safe," Elijah frowned when Rebekah slipped from the room.

* * *

Elena was half a mile away before she stopped and kicked at the pink sand. She swiped away the leftover glass and wood when it dug into her skin and fell to sit on the cool ground.

She was glaring at the fierce waves when she sensed a vampire behind her.

"Go away, Elijah," she didn't bother to look over her shoulder. Kol knew her well enough by now to know when she needed space.

"Not Elijah."

A line appeared between her brows when she saw the blonde drop to sit in the sand.

"I'm not in the mood, Rebekah," Elena ignored her and turned back to the waves.

"Is it true?" Rebekah tucked her straight hair behind her ear and lifted an eyebrow.

Elena closed her eyes and sighed before turning to her companion.

"Is what true?" Her voice was little more than a whisper.

"Were you compelled to dagger me?" She crossed her legs at the ankles and leaned back on her palms.

Elena nodded and hugged her legs to her chest. "I didn't want to," she murmured, "I thought we were getting along really well. I couldn't understand why I would do it until a few days ago. Damon compelled me to stab you and Stefan made no move to stop him." Her lips twisted into a bitter grimace. "I'm getting rather sick of compulsion."

"I bet you are," Rebekah straightened her spine and watched the crashing waves. "What about the other bit…? Elijah's really your soulmate?"

"Mmhmm," Elena gritted her teeth. She blinked back her tears.

"I'm sorry," Rebekah frowned. Hesitantly she slid her arm around Elena's shoulders.

"I thought you hated me," Elena glanced at Rebekah through the corner of her eye, but made no move to pull away.

"I hated you for the crimes you committed against my brothers and me," Rebekah gave her a sardonic half-smile. "Turns out you didn't have a choice in any of it. For all I know you and I could be the best of friends."

Elena shook with a silent laugh and swiped at a few tears.

Rebekah's lips quirked up in a smile. She brushed a few feathers from Elena's neck and caught sight of Elijah's handwriting behind her ear.

"You look ridiculous," she snickered and pulled a feather from Elena's hair. Her expression turned serious when she heard the briefest whisper of footsteps coming from the direction of the house. "I understand why you're mad Elena," she plucked a few more feathers, "but this is a conversation you need to have sooner rather than later. If you want to spend the rest of eternity hating him that is your prerogative, but you should tell him that."

Elena swallowed when Rebekah stood and flashed off in the direction of the house. She blinked when she found herself alone and hopped to her feet. She was up to her waist in the water when she heard his footsteps on the shore.

She crossed her arms and stared at the water lapping around her waist. She wanted to run far away and never look at him again. She wanted to know why he had tossed her aside. She wanted so many things and each seemed to contradict the last.

"Elena," his voice sounded a few feet behind her.

She glanced over her shoulder long enough to see that he had waded into the surf. She took a deep breath and slowly turned to face him. Her arms crossed over her chest as she lifted her eyes from his soaked clothes to glare at him. Her eyebrows lifted as if to say 'well'.

"I'm sorry," he swallowed nervously and continued when she said nothing. "I was trying to protect you."

Elena couldn't stop the scoff when she turned her gaze back to the sea.

"I was, Elena," he ran his hand over the back of his neck; "I thought you would be safer if you were far away from me. I fully intended to lead Niklaus away from Mystic Falls when you shoved the dagger in my heart. Then I wanted to take you and run, but by the time I woke the time for fleeing had long since passed."

"Three times," she breathed in the salty spray from the water, "you made me forget three times."

"Technically I only did it twice…" he trailed off when fire flashed in her eyes.

Elena's arms uncrossed as she tilted her head and hissed.

"I'm sorry, but is this discussion of the degree to which you violated my mind?" She held up her hand when he made to interrupt her. "No," she inhaled sharply, "there is no excuse. You had no right," her hands came up and shoved his chest, "and then to later have Klaus do it so I'd never remember…" She moved as if to shove him again and gasped when he caught her wrists.

Heat raced through her veins when he pulled her to him and wrapped an arm around her back.

He could feel her heart stutter in her chest and focused on her chocolate eyes that were still flashing with a fiery anger and hurt. His eyes flickered over her face.

"Do you know how many enemies I have made in the last thousand years?" His cool breath fanned across her chin.

Elena shook her head and focused on his chin.

"Neither do I," shame curled at the base of his spine when she wouldn't meet his eyes, "there are many, though. Not one of them would have hesitated to attack you to get to me; I compelled you to protect you, Elena, and to keep from influencing your decision: you told me you never wanted to be a vampire."

"I was missing some pretty key information when I made that choice," she growled.

"You wanted to be human, Elena," he shook his head. "Would you really have made a different choice knowing this?" His hand released her wrist to trace the letters behind her ear.

She inhaled when her skin heated beneath his fingertips. She lifted her heavy gaze from his chin to his eyes and tilted her head against his hand.

"I guess we'll never know," she breathed. Her eyes drifted shut when he lowered his brow to hers. His cool breath fanning over her mouth made her want to lift her chin and brush her lips over his. She had heard rumors that a soulmate's kiss was electrifying; a kiss like no other.

"Elena," he closed his eyes and relished the feeling of her chest rising and falling with her deep breathes. He took a brief moment to drink in the smell that was her before leaning down. He paused when her hand settled on his chest as if to push him away.

Elena hesitated. She didn't know what to think, but she did know that she was being drawn to him like a magnet. The pull was undeniable and unstoppable.

Her fingers curled around the soft material of his tie rather than push him away. His fingers drifted up into her hair so his bare wrist pressed to the skin behind her ear. The soul marks tingled deliciously when they were against each other and were the final thing that drew them together.

Their mouths moved together hungrily for several long moments as heat spread through their veins. Energy flowed between them when his tongue slid into her mouth until Elena was unsure where either of them began or ended.

Waves crashed around them when Elena broke the kiss and backed up. She closed her eyes and willed the darkened capillaries to cease their writhing.

"Elena," Elijah swallowed. He took a deep breath and felt his own vampire visage fade away. He stepped forward through the water. "Tell me what I can do to make this right," he lowered his hand when she backed away further. "Please, Elena."

A myriad of thoughts floated through her mind while her body wared with her own emotions. The heartbreak and betrayal had been joined by confusion and lust; she had been in severe danger of jumping him right there in the Caribbean Sea when she'd broken the kiss. She wanted him… she wanted to be far away from him… she wanted to forgive him… she wanted to spend her unnaturally long life hating him.

The truth was that she didn't know what she wanted and she wouldn't figure it out with him there.

"Leave me alone," she held her breath. She saw the hurt flash in his dark eyes when he nodded and turned around. Elena couldn't understand why her heart plummeted into her stomach when he disappeared.

* * *

"Where are you going?" Klaus turned from Jeremy and Caroline who had just entered the kitchen to stare at his freshly changed brother.

"I'm leaving," Elijah lifted a set of keys from inside the pantry, "she asked me to go." He paused at the door when he felt the glares of Jeremy and Caroline. "She told you as well?"

"It took a bottle of tequila to finally get her talking," Jeremy crossed his arms. The only reason he didn't strike out was the knowledge that Elijah could have killed him with a flick of his wrist.

That didn't stop Caroline though. Elijah stood his ground when she advanced even as the fear sent ice down his spine.

"That was despicable," she seethed. Her blue-green eyes flashed dangerously when she poked his chest. "Did it never occur to you how she would feel when she found out? You tossed her aside like she was nothing," Caroline continued to advance when he headed for the door. Her voice dropped to a hiss so low that Elijah was the only vampire capable of hearing it when they stepped into the garage. "Do you have any idea the complex she developed with the Salvatores? Two men who claimed to love her while pinning after Katherine."

Elijah froze when he opened the car door. He had spared Elena's doppelgangers little to no thought since that day in the crumbling mansion with Rose. He hadn't considered that she had any insecurity as far as Katerina was concerned.

"Let me make myself abundantly clear, Miss Forbes," his voice dropped when he met her flashing eyes. "I harbour no feelings for Katherine Pierce, as you know her, nor am I 'pining' for Tatia; both women managed to tear my family apart at the seams. I only compelled her to keep her safe from the many enemies that would have used her against me. I want her safe."

"And yet you're leaving," she nodded to the car. "You flew all the way down here to find her and you leave not twenty minutes later."

"She asked me to go," he fiddled with the key in his hand. "I love her, Miss Forbes, and if leaving her alone is the thing she needs, if space is what she wants, then that is what I am going to give her." He slid into his car and opened the garage door. "Have a lovely vacation," he murmured before backing out of the building.

* * *

Elena stood in 'her' bedroom the next night. Her damp hair fell to the middle of her back. She knew, in the back of her mind, that it would dry in knots if she didn't brush it out soon but she couldn't bring herself to turn away from the window. There was something hauntingly beautiful about the full moon's reflection on the dark water.

She wondered if the moon ever felt as lonely as she did in that moment.

Elijah had done as she asked. He had been gone by the time she returned to the house. Elijah had been gone and Caroline had given her an inquisitive look. Rebekah had mirrored the curious expression, but hadn't tried to stop her when she walked passed everyone without a word and climbed into the shower attached to her room. She had stood under the spray for a good hour, but when she had emerged fresh and clean she had still felt the warm impression his hands had left on her skin.

It had been twenty-four hours and she could still recall their kiss in vivid detail. She could still feel his fingers in her hair.

"Come in," she tore herself from her thoughts when a soft knock sounded on the door. Elena had figured it would be Caroline, Jeremy or Kol; she was not expecting the hybrid who stepped into the room.

Klaus was silent as he approached the window and stared down at her. Elena was starting to feel a little exposed in her sleep shorts and tank top when he finally opened his mouth.

"Is it true?"

Elena didn't have to ask to know what he meant. She reached up and slid her hair over her right shoulder before turning to him. Had he bitten the left side of her neck during the ritual he might have realized earlier.

"It is true," he read the familiar handwriting. Turning to the window he stared out at the moon in silence for several minutes. Every few seconds he would open his mouth as if to say something before closing it again.

"Klaus?" She ventured after the silence had grown deafening. "Is there a reason you're in here?"

"Yes," he cleared his throat and stared out the window, "I owe you an apology."

Elena's eyes narrowed in confusion. Was Klaus Mikaelson, the almighty hybrid, apologizing to her?

"If I had known," he turned to meet her dark eyes, "I never would have used you. I would have waited for the next doppelganger."

"Why not?" Elena swallowed. "Why was Elijah convinced you would kill me either way?"

"Soulmates are special, Elena," Klaus laughed without any real humour. "They are something to be treasured. Had I known what he was really making you forget I wouldn't have done it."

"You haven't answered my question," Elena crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Because Finn found his," Klaus admitted quietly. "Elijah was under the impression I had killed Sage when we needed to run in order to ensure Finn came with us… I didn't," he met her fearful eyes, "I just never corrected them. I ran into Sage a few years back; that's where Finn went after the botched ritual."

The fear at the base of her spine dissipated quickly in the face of his honesty. She turned back to the window and blinked slowly.

"I wanted to extend my apologies, and my protection," he nodded once, "you have nothing to fear from either Rebekah or I." He let out a long breath after a moment of silence. "I don't expect you to forgive me… or believe me."

"I believe you," Elena whispered without turning to look at him.

Klaus nodded before turning to leave her in peace.

"Klaus," she glanced over her shoulder when his hand landed on the doorknob.

"Yes, love?" He paused.

Elena chewed her lip and focused on the throw pillows when she felt his gaze on her. She mulled over her words for a moment.

"Caroline has an interesting… 'Tattoo' on her right shoulder," she murmured and motioned to the correct area. "She tends to cover it with cardigans and concealer for formal occasions."

* * *

He walked slowly down the hall and stood before the dark wood. He hesitated before knocking and entering when the soft voice called out.

"Evening, sweetheart," Klaus stepped inside and nodded.

Caroline sat up when she saw him and raked her eyes up and down his body quickly. She flushed when he caught her staring and smirked.

"Did you need something?" She cleared her throat and marked the page in her book.

He ran his eyes slowly over her golden hair where it fell over her shoulders. She was wearing a spaghetti strap top so he should have been able to see it; he could only assume it was buried under her hair.

"I just wanted to grab some clothes," he nodded to the closet and dresser. "This is my room, love," he smirked when her eyes grew round.

Caroline nodded and opened her book again with the intention of ignoring him. That proved impossible when instead of moving to the closet he crossed the floor and stood beside her.

Her breath hitched when he gently swept her hair over her right shoulder. Peeking through her eyelashes she saw him run his thumb over the slanting letters on her skin.

"We're you ever going to mention this, love?" Klaus clearly remembered their first meeting in her bedroom.

"I hadn't planned on it," Caroline closed her book and stood up. Whipping her hair into a messy bun she strode towards the ensuite and grabbed her cardigan from the hook. "Did Kol tell you?"

"Kol knew?" Klaus' eyes grew round. "You told Kol, but you didn't tell me?"

"No," Caroline lifted a finger, "I was drunk and told Elena. Kol happened to be there… and so did Jeremy."

"No, Caroline," he shook his head. "Kol did not tell me… Elena mentioned that you had a tattoo I might find interesting."

Caroline processed the information and made a mental note to upload a video to the internet later.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He tilted his head and frowned when she tossed a few things in her suitcase.

"Why didn't I tell you?" Caroline stopped her packing and laughed. "Seriously? You killed my best friend's aunt, you tried to kill my best friend, you terrorized the people I care about and you sent Tyler to bite me," she gave him a pointed look, "on my birthday."

"You know," he nodded in agreement, "most of that could have been avoided if Elijah had only told us about Elena."

"While we're on that topic," she folded the gold dress, "you used her as a human blood bag, and compelled her on behalf of your brother."

"Again," Klaus reiterated, "none of that would have happened had I known her importance to Elijah. I was just talking to Elena about this, love. I think that conversation had a lot to do with why she told me about you." He closed her suitcase before she could add the dress. "Where are you going?"

"Down the hall," she rolled her eyes. "This house is huge; I'm assuming there are a few guestrooms."

"You don't have to go anywhere, Caroline."

"This is your room," she sighed and placed a hand on her hip.

"You're more than welcome to stay in it," he took the gold dress from her hand and placed it on the hanger.

"Why?"

"Well," Klaus couldn't stop the wicked smirk, "you've already settled in and I would be lying if I said I don't enjoy the thought of you sleeping in my bed." He held up his hand when she glared. "I was only joking love."

Caroline rolled her eyes and hit him with a throw pillow.

He held up his arm to block the blow and chuckled. His expression turned serious a moment later.

"All jokes aside love," he took the pillow and threw it on the bed, "I'd like one thing from you."

"And what is that?" Caroline crossed her arms and tilted her head.

"Your confession, love," he took a step forward, "about me." He stared down into her flashing eyes. "You see even before I knew about this," his fingers ghosted over the soul mark, "I knew we had a connection. You covered it with hostility and revulsion and told yourself you loathed the part of you that cared for me in spite of everything. I want to know what you want."

"I am eighteen years old," she narrowed her eyes, "I don't know what I want." She cursed herself when her heart skipped a beat with the lie.

Klaus raised a brow and smirked. "I think you do," his eyes roamed over her face, "there is no doubt in my mind that you have planned out the next few decades. Can you see me fitting into your plan at any point?"

Caroline scoffed. "I've got the whole century planned," she tilted her head and returned his smirk, "and oddly enough I hadn't planned on you fitting in anywhere."

"Oh?" Hurt flashed in his eyes.

She took a small step forward so they were separated by a few inches. She caught his collar before he could back away and leave.

"I have been known to change my plans on occasion," the corners of her mouth lifted in a smirk.

* * *

Jeremy paused the video game he was playing with Kol and cocked his head to the side when he heard the loud crash.

"What was that?"

"Something I'd prefer to ignore," Kol rolled his eyes.

"Be happy you're human, Jeremy," Rebekah glanced up from her book, "you can't hear the sounds of them going at it."

Elena flashed into the library and stopped in front of the couch.

"Anybody want to go out and do…" she grimaced when she heard Caroline's very detailed demand, "… do anything else?"

"I'm up for a walk," Rebekah jumped up. They were halfway down the beach when she turned and asked the question. "I take it from Elijah's quick departure you didn't forgive him." She didn't wait for the confirmation. "Do you think you'll ever?"

"Honestly," Elena sighed and glanced over her shoulder when she heard Kol and Jeremy catching up, "I don't know. What I do know is that I need time to sort it out."

* * *

Elijah looked up from the book when the light turned on and tilted his head to view Finn.

"You're not an easy man to track down," he rose from his seat.

"Perhaps I didn't want to be found," Finn recovered from his shock quickly and shed his coat. "Is there a reason you're here?"

"I just had a question," Elijah watched him hang his jacket in the closet. "Did you compel Elena to comply with mother's ritual?"

There was no hesitation in Finn's nod. "I did. She refused to help us, which I thought odd, so mother forced a potion down her throat so I could compel her to comply and not warn any…"

Finn grunted when the fist collided with his jaw.

"In your mind I am assuming that I earned that," he reset his jaw bone, "but would you mind telling me what I did?"

"You compelled my soulmate so she would help kill us all," Elijah adjusted his cuffs and resisted the urge to hit him again. Finn was not the Mikaelson he was truly angry with. Elena Gilbert was unobtainable now, and he only had himself to blame.

"He'll apologize next time he sees her."

Elijah's eyes grew round when the red haired woman strode into the room. Her eyes flashed with amusement when she smiled at him.

"Hello, Elijah."

"Sage."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow this chapter got really long.  
> The next one is going to have a time jump... a pretty big one to be honest. I'm planning on putting in a couple of flashbacks to some events that transpired between the two major parts of this story.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own TVD or TO

 

* * *

29 Years Later

* * *

Elena couldn't keep herself from nodding her head along to Elton John's "The Bitch is Back'. Classic 80's music really seemed to highlight the clothes on display at fashion week in Milan. She laughed when she found Rebekah giving her a mildly amused look.

Elena shook with laughter and nudged Rebekah's shoulder until she joined in with her crazy dancing. It wasn't like they were the only people at the show bobbing their heads to the infectious beat.

She turned her attention back towards the stage but her attention was grabbed by a woman a few seats down. The blonde had stood to remove her cardigan which revealed the slanting lettering of her soul mark between her shoulder blades.

Elena's eyes grew round as her mouth popped open. The blonde had returned to her seat before she could alert Rebekah.

* * *

"I'll meet you outside," Elena jumped up at the end of the show, "there is something I need to check out."

"Alright," Rebekah sighed and shouldered her purse, "but hurry. We're supposed to meet Jeremy for lunch."

"I still don't know how I feel about you and my brother," Elena teased. She rolled her eyes and giggled.

"Blame the universe, 'Lena," Rebekah chuckled. It had been during the walk to escape the sounds of Klaus and Caroline tearing apart his bedroom that Jeremy had shown her the elegant cursive writing across his ribs; Kol had given his blood a few years later so the happy couple were safe from a potential sire bond.

"I'll meet you outside," she promised.

Spinning on her heel she pushed through the bustling crowd as quickly as she could without using vampire speed. Luckily for her the woman she was looking for did not seem to be in a great rush. She reached out when she reached the end of the stage and tapped the shoulder of the short blonde.

"Hello," Elena grinned from ear to ear.

"Hi?" Her green eyes flickered over Elena's face as a nervous smile lifted the corners of her mouth. Her gaze caught the lapis lazuli on Elena's finger.

"I'm Elena," she held out her hand.

"Lexa," she shook her hand and froze when her suspicions were confirmed. "For the life of me I can't understand why a vampire is introducing herself to me," Lexa's voice dropped to a hushed whisper.

"Witch?" Elena's brows rose.  _This is just perfect._ "Well, Lexa," she smiled brightly, "I was hoping I could persuade you to take off your sweater."

"Seriously?" Lexa took a hesitant step back.

Elena nodded. "I saw you take it off earlier and caught a glimpse of your…"

"My soul mark?" Lexa blinked.

"Yes," she grinned, "and I think I recognized the writing."

"That bodes well for me," Lexa sighed, "does that mean my soulmate's a vampire?"

"Maybe," Elena smirked, "maybe not. I just thought the writing looked familiar."

Lexa rolled her eyes before slipping the grey cardigan down her arms and turning around.

* * *

Rebekah stood in front of her mirror and held up one dress after another. She spun around and held them up for Elena's inspection.

"Black or red…?" Rebekah tilted her head when she found the brunette sprawled across her bed texting. "Elena?"

"What?" She looked up from her phone.

"Which dress should I wear?" Rebekah held up the two choices again.

Elena tilted her head and pursed her lips in concentration before nodding to the one on the left. She jumped up and slid the zipper in place.

"It just needs one final touch," Elena surveyed the strapless red dress in the mirror. She winked before flashing across the apartment and back.

"My old locket," Rebekah grinned when Elena fastened the chain around her neck.

"A witch did say it was supposed to help you find love," Elena stepped back and leaned against the foot of the bed.

"I was under the impression I already had that," she slid into her heels. "She also said it would bring me luck."

"Let's go for luck then," Elena smirked.

"Luck," Rebekah nodded.

Elena picked up her phone when it chimed and answered the incoming text message.

"Who have you been texting all day?" Rebekah's eyes narrowed.

"Jeremy," she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and followed Rebekah into the spacious kitchen, "and this girl I met in Milan last week."

"Your texting some Italian girl?" Rebekah tilted her head and pulled a bag of blood from the fridge to warm up.

"She's actually from Brooklyn," Elena glanced up from her phone to take the mug of blood Rebekah placed in front of her, "she was one of the designers; I introduced myself to her after the show. She's cute as a button: curly blond hair and green eyes. I'm pretty sure she designed the dress you're wearing."

"Cute," Rebekah arched an eyebrow, "are you switching teams on us?"

"No," Elena rolled her eyes, "I just made a new friend."

"That's great," Rebekah nodded. She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. "When was the last time you were on a date, anyway?"

"It was before she transitioned," Caroline strode in through the front door and hopped up on the counter. Stealing Elena's mug she took a sip and lowered the pink ceramic. A devilish smirk lifted the corners of her mouth and made her eyes sparkle.

"I will have you know I had a date six years ago," Elena crossed her arms. She had tried dating a few times over the past few decades, but it had never felt right.

"Are we talking about a date or a 'date'?" Caroline wiggled her eyebrows.

"You've been spending too much time with Klaus," Elena accused lightly while ignoring the insinuation.

"I was asking about the second kind of date," Rebekah snickered. "You know… the kind that ends with some broken furniture, torn knickers, and a bra hanging from the ceiling fan."

Caroline paled at the memory of the bedroom after she and Klaus had been together the first time. She gave Rebekah a pointed look before turning her attention back to Elena.

"If that is the kind of date we are talking about then it was most definitely while she was still human," Caroline smirked and leaned back on the counter. "Don't bother denying it Elena. You're super uptight these days and you have been for decades; it's been nearly 30 years since you've gotten some."

"Right," Elena murmured. She tucked her phone back into her pocket and avoided their eyes. "I think I'm going to turn in early," she cleared her throat, "maybe watch a movie in bed."

Rebekah grabbed her purse when a soft knock sounded on the door.

"That's Jeremy," she slid into her jacket, "we're going out. Why don't you see what that was all about?"

"Try and stop me," Caroline laughed before flashing into Elena's bedroom.

Elena sighed when she came out of the closet in pajamas. She rolled her eyes before picking up her laptop and climbing into the bed beside Caroline.

"I thought you were going back home tonight," she logged in and opened Netflix.

"I am," Caroline stretched out and snatched the computer. "I'm going as soon as you spill the beans." She tilted her head when Elena glared. "You're hiding something."

"I am not," she denied.

"So you're denying that you've gotten laid in recent years?"

"Yes," Elena nodded. She was still a relatively young vampire and considered 'recent' to be a relative term.

"Okay," Caroline nodded before closing the laptop. "New topic…"

Elena shifted onto her hip so she was facing Caroline when she used the conspiratorial tone she had perfected. She had a feeling she wasn't going to like what was coming out of her mouth and hurried to get in ahead.

"I'm up for any topic," Elena lifted a finger, "with the exception of my sex life, or your sex life… I don't want to hear about what you and Klaus get up to behind closed doors."

"It's not always behind a door," Caroline winked. She laughed when Elena whacked her with a pillow. "Alright… alright," she threw the throw pillow across the bedroom. "I want to know about you."

"What do you want to know?" Elena crossed her arms and watched the smile turn serious on her best friends face.

"It's been thirty years," Caroline picked a spot on the comforter and frowned, "you've forgiven Rebekah for killing you. You've forgiven Finn for compelling you. You've even forgiven Klaus for everything, which was really surprising to both of us."

"I never said I forgave Klaus," Elena interrupted.

"You forgave him," Caroline gave her a pointed look. "If you hadn't forgiven him you never would have told him about this," she ran her finger over the letters on her skin. "We are getting off topic though. My point is that you have forgiven each of the Originals in turn; are you ever going to forgive him."

"Caroline…"

"He's your soulmate Elena," she stared into the brunette's eyes. "He is your soulmate and you haven't even spoken to him in thirty years."

Elena drew her bottom lip between her teeth and bit down when she turned her gaze to the pillow in her lap. She was surprised when she didn't sink into the mattress and disappear.

"It hasn't been quite that long," she murmured. Had they not both been vampires Caroline would have never heard her. "We ran into each other once." Her throat closed with a mixture of sorrow and anger.

"And you're still mad," Caroline surmised.

"No," Elena shook her head, "well… yes and no… not about the compulsion…"

"What are you so upset about then?" Caroline wrapped her arm around Elena's shoulders when she started to shake. "What did he do Elena? Do you want me to kick his ass, or I can get Klaus to dagger him for you?"

Elena shook her head and took a deep breath.

"What happened, Elena?"

Elena leaned back against the pillows and stared up at her ceiling. It was ridiculous to feel sad. Her disappointment and sorrow turned her body to lead though.

"He let me walk away," she shrugged. "I don't want to talk about this Care," she gave her friend a pointed look before turning her gaze towards the door.

"I'm not going to leave you when you're so upset," Caroline kicked off her shoes. "You don't want to talk that's fine, but I'm not leaving." She reached for the computer and opened Netflix. "What are we watching? I'm assuming RomComs are out."

* * *

_15 Years Earlier_

* * *

_Elena adjusted her purse on her shoulder and surveyed the bustling crowd of tourists and locals. She could easily tell them apart. The locals ran to get to work on time while the tourists paused on every corner and oohed and awed over every brick._

_She rolled her eyes at the amount of flashes going off before strolling down the street and cutting through an alley. Her brows knit together when a broad chest appeared in front of her. She glanced over her shoulder to find two more men and a woman. From the smell she could tell they were vampires._

_"Katherine Pierce," The first man leered down at her. "We owe you one after that little stunt you pulled in Cairo."_

_"Didn't think we'd ever see you again," the woman crowed._

_Fear curled at the base of her spine. She got the sense that each of the vampires surrounding her was older, and even if they were not and Katherine had only screwed them over in the last few years Elena was severely outnumbered._

_"You've got the wrong Petrova," her smile was tight. The edges of her lips strained upwards. "I'm Elena."_

_"You really expect us to believe that?" One of the goons scoffed._

_The air was knocked from her lungs when the first blow landed. She grunted and gasped as the ribs healed and spat blood onto the asphalt. Adrenaline raced through her veins whirled out of the first vampire's path. Unfortunately she was outnumbered._

_Her arms were wrenched behind her back. The contents of her purse were upended onto the ground when the bag was knocked aside. She closed her eyes and waited for the first blow that was sure to come._

_Her eyes popped open when her arms were released. She heard a rush of air followed by a shrill scream. She forced her hand through the burly vampire, who had blocked her path, and tore out his heart before turning around and preparing to strike whoever had taken out her assailants._

_"You've got a real talent for getting into trouble," he wiped the blood from his hands with a handkerchief._

_"I had it handled," Elena glared. She crushed the organ in her hand and bent to lift a Kleenex from her bag._

_"That one was about to kill you," he pointed to the vampire behind her._

_Elena swiped the worst of the blood from her hand._

_"What exactly did you do to earn their ire?"_

_"Me?" Her head snapped up. "Me!" She dropped the bloody tissue and advanced. "This had nothing to do with me. You are looking at four people Katherine managed to tick off. Why are you here, anyway? How did you even find me?"_

_"I was in the area on business," he lifted his wrist, "and you were in trouble," he nodded to the would be assailants._

_"I can take care of myself, Elijah," her eyes narrowed. She swallowed down her annoyance and glared; somewhere in the back of her mind she registered that they were getting progressively closer together. He was an industrial strength magnet and she was a paper clip; she was powerless to stop it._

_Her mind flashed back to the last time she had seen him in the Caribbean. The night she had told him to leave and her heart had shattered into a million pieces when he did._

_"Clearly," he scoffed. "What the bloody hell were you thinking coming into this city alone?"_

_Elena's glared. She could feel the heat coming off his body and smell the blood still clinging to his hand. Her eyes flickered down when his hands grasped her hips._

_One of the main reasons she had wanted space was because of the effect he had on her body. Even as a human he'd had the power to get her hot and bothered with a single look, and the transition had only heightened her emotions. If anything her reaction was stronger than ever._

_Truth be told she'd had more than enough time to work out the things that she wanted. She knew she wanted him. She knew she missed him, but looking at him now she also knew that she was still mad at him._

_Once again he had swooped in to 'save' her life, and yeah she knew that she'd likely have been killed without him, but it wouldn't have killed him to ask if she wanted his help. The fact that he was clearly angry with her only fueled her own rage._

_That magnetic pull was still there though. Grabbing the back of his neck she crashed her lips to his in a bruising kiss._

_That same energy swirled between them once more._

_Elena jumped when his hands moved down to her thighs and wrapped her legs around his waist. The cold bricks of the alley wall cooled her heated skin. Her moan was wanton when his teeth scraped the skin behind her left ear. Fire curled in her abdomen when he continued to lick and nip the mark on her skin._

_His dress shirt shredded beneath her fingernails; buttons rained down on the floor of the alley._

_He pulled the zipper on the front of her dress so her breasts were exposed to the warm summer air. He groaned around the supple flesh of her tit when her hands unhooked his belt and pulled his hard shaft free._

_Elena squeezed him before pumping her hand quickly. Her free hand raked down his back and drew thin lines of blood when he tore her lace panties and slid two fingers into her dripping pussy._

_She thrust her head back against the hard bricks when he stroked her inner walls and used his thumb to manipulate her clit. It was his lips harsh attack on her soul mark that made the colours explode behind her eyes._

_Elijah met her lidded eyes before removing his hand and thrusting into her quivering body._

_Elena was pretty sure the bricks turned to dust as he drove into her hard and fast. She was certain there would be an impression of her back in the wall when they were done. She curled her fingers into his short hair and brought his mouth to hers in a hard kiss. She fell apart with his tongue in her mouth and his straining cock deep in her body._

_A combination of fluids slid down her shaking legs when he lowered her body back to the ground. If she had still been human she might have stumbled when she stepped around him and fixed her dress._

_Without saying a word she bent and picked up her bag. The question of which Petrova he had been thinking of kept racing through her mind._

_She was still angry, but her anger had nothing to do with his compulsion. She had been tempted to call him so many times over the past fourteen years, but she had felt like she would have been competing with her ancestors._

_Just once she wanted to know what it was like to be with someone who had never been with her doppelgangers; it would have been nice not to compete._

_She stole a glance at him over her shoulder when his phone rang. She turned and blinked back her tears when she heard the voice: Katherine. She exhaled when he ended the call and walked away._

_"Elena…"_

_Her heart stuttered in her chest._

* * *

Elena jerked awake when the phone continued to chirp. It was quite possibly the most annoying sound she had ever heard in her life. She buried her head under her pillow and slapped weakly at Caroline's shoulder.

"'lo?" Caroline mumbled into the receiver.

_"You're alive. That's good."_

"Klaus?" She sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Caroline swore when she saw the time. "I'm sorry I meant to call."

_"Is everything alright, sweetheart?"_

"Yeah," Caroline ran her hand through her hair. "It's fine. Elena needed some girl time. I guess we fell asleep… hang on a sec…"

Caroline lowered the phone and lifted her eyebrow expectantly when Rebekah appeared at the foot of the bed. The other blonde was practically vibrating with energy and struggling to suppress a grin.

Rebekah lifted her hand and Caroline shrieked.

Elena jolted upright and glared. Her annoyance faded quickly though when she saw the reason for the screaming. Her own pleased screams added to that of the two blondes had Klaus demanding to know what was wrong and if they were in danger.

Caroline finally addressed him when she heard the jingle of car keys.

"Rebekah's engaged."

_"Is that all? Well it's about bloody time."_

It was a good thing he was on the phone so he couldn't see the way the three women turned towards his voice and lifted an eyebrow.

* * *

"Rebekah's engaged," Klaus poured a few glasses of bourbon and passed them to his brothers.

"Is that what all that screaming was about?" Kol glanced up from his book.

"How did you find out so quickly?" Finn sipped his drink.

"I called to find out where Caroline was," he dropped into a club chair. "I guess Elena needed some 'girl time', not quite sure what that meant… anyway she was there when Rebekah got home."

"I can't believe they had girl time without me," Kol gasped dramatically. "Actually… probably a good thing. The last time I got in the middle of one of those events I wound up with blue toenails."

"And how is Elena?"

Kol lifted his wrist and made a show of reading his watch.

"What is that, Nik?" He glanced up from the glittering gold. "Less than a minute by my estimation."

"I would have said less than half," Finn quipped. "Which is an improvement over the last time her name was mentioned; what was that, 10 seconds?"

"Less," Klaus chuckled, "it was instantaneous."

"At least he's waiting until her name is mentioned," Kol smirked, "unlike the time I got back from Spain."

"You barely made it through the door," Klaus nodded. "I'm pretty sure he calls Rebekah at least once a week just to hear her voice in the background."

"Could you perhaps answer the question," Elijah sighed in exasperation, "instead of mocking me?"

Klaus pretended to consider before shaking his head. "No," the corner of his mouth quirked up, "I just managed to get into her good graces… kind of… she was pretty mad when I gave you her phone number 15 years ago."

Elijah downed his drink before slamming the glass down and flashing from the room. He cursed the ill-timing of that phone call. It had been just his luck that Katerina would get hold of his number and call at that particular moment in time. He could still hear the way her heart had stilled that day.

His closed fist came down on top of the dresser. He watched as if from a distance while the wood splintered and the mirror shattered against the floor.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go...
> 
> I'm going to be honest the 'family' has just about had it with Elena and Elijah being apart. Rebekah's engagement presents several very interesting opportunities for her and her brothers to get involved in the mess that is Elijah's love life. And that girl in Milan... Elena did recognize the handwriting... she's just waiting for the perfect opportunity.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own TVD or TO

Klaus took the steps two at a time with Caroline before rapping on the door.

Caroline popped the collar on her black leather jacket and stole suspicious glances over her shoulder. Her eyes roamed the street before landing on his face that was suddenly full of amusement.

"What are you doing?" Klaus struggled to supress his smirk.

"This is a clandestine meeting," Caroline whispered, "I'm being clandestine." Her eyes flickered back to the road.

"He's out of the state, love," Klaus chuckled.

"He is?" Caroline's eyes narrowed. "Well then why are we meeting here?"

"Because," Jeremy opened the door, "there is a very good chance he'll come back before we're done talking."

"It will only take him so long to realize the errand I sent him on is fake," Rebekah grinned when they stepped into the living room.

"I just can't believe I wasted the stealth outfit and he's not even in town," Caroline shed her coat. She was left in black skinny jeans, heeled boots, and a black fitted tank with crossed straps over her back. She slid her sunglasses into her hair and dropped onto the loveseat.

"I don't think it was a waste, sweetheart," Klaus raked his eyes over her slim form. He gave her a suggestive wink. "I find this rather sexy."

"Could we perhaps get back on topic?" Finn rolled his eyes. "We only have so much time before Elijah returns. I for one would like to know why the family meeting was called without him."

"Because it concerns him," Caroline sighed.

"And if he knew what we were planning he'd immediately put a stop to it," Rebekah tucked her feet beneath her on the couch. She took Jeremy's hand and glared when Kol interrupted her.

"It's been thirty years," Kol grinned, "she's had more than enough time. I personally believe they are both being stubborn, so it is time we intervened. Bekah's engagement is the perfect opportunity to get them in a room together."

"Elena's not going to like it," Caroline frowned. "And it's only been fifteen years. They ran into each other once. Elena wouldn't go into details but I got the sense that something happened. It's not going to be easy getting them back together."

* * *

She yawned and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Blinking against the harsh light of the street lamp streaming through her window she patted the nightstand blindly until she found the phone and held it to her ear while squeezing her eyes shut to block out the light.

"Hello," her voice was gravelly.

_"Good morning, darling."_

"Kol," Elena rolled away from the window and sat up against the pillows. "Are you finally returning my calls? I was starting to think Klaus had done something dastardly."

_"Nik wouldn't do that,"_  Kol snickered,  _"mainly because I still have the daggers locked away where he'll never find them. I'm sorry I kept missing you."_

"I've been trying to get in touch with you for three weeks," Elena climbed out of bed and strode into the kitchen. She lifted a blood bag from the fridge and opened it like a juice box.

_"Again… really sorry. You can give me a good going over at the party tomorrow... later today."_

"What party?" Elena drained her blood and dropped the package into the trash can.

_"Rebekah and Jeremy's engagement party of course. Nik's planned a ball in honor of their upcoming nuptials."_

"This would be a full family event?" Elena ran her fingers over the countertop.

_"I know that tone. Don't do this Elena. He's your brother and she's your friend. You can't bail on this."_

"I don't want to see him, Kol," a knife stabbed through her heart when she remembered the voice. Her spirit had crumbled when Katherine had greeted him and he'd ended the call. "I don't want to see him."

_"Come on, 'Lena, you love him I know you do. Isn't it time you let this go? Do you know every time I come back from seeing you he always asks how you are?"_

"I'm tired," Elena ran her fingers through her tangled hair. "I'm so tired of being second best."

_"What the bloody hell are you talking about? I guarantee Elijah has not spared Tatia Petrova a second thought in centuries."_

"It's not the dead Petrova I'm playing second fiddle to, Kol. It's the live one," Elena shook her head. She had kept her peace for nearly thirty years on the subject.

Maybe it was her exhausted state. Maybe she was just ready to talk about it. Maybe it was the knowledge, in the back of her mind, that eventually this would get back to him.

_"Katerina? I haven't heard Elijah ever mention her name."_

"He cared for her," Elena blinked back her tears and curled her feet under her on the couch. "He even created an elixir to save her life."

_"How do you know that?"_

"Because he offered it to me," Elena swallowed. She knew Kol could probably hear the tears in her voice. "I don't know why; maybe some sense of obligation or something." She released a heavy breath. "I don't want to second best. I don't want to spend my life wondering if it's really me he sees when he looks at me. I got enough of that with the Salvatores."

Kol lapsed into silence on the other side of the line. Just when she thought it was getting unbearable her head snapped up towards the opening door. She hung up the phone and let him pull her into a hug on the couch.

Elena wasn't sure how long they sat there. It could have been an hour, or it could have been a few minutes. It didn't really matter.

"Are you really going to skip this?" Kol ventured when her shoulders stilled. "Eventually you will have to be in the same room as him… unless you're going to miss your baby brother's wedding."

"I suppose I have to go," Elena forced herself to sit up straight.

"It's time to face the music," Kol laughed humourlessly. "Would it do any good to tell you that he doesn't care for her at all?"

"Nope," Elena shook her head, "if he didn't care for her he wouldn't have gotten a witch to make that elixir."

"You know he's been trying to talk to you for fifteen years?" Kol tried another approach.

"I know," Elena stood up, "he bullied Klaus into giving him my number. I saved the incoming call so I could ignore them."

"Did you also know that he tried to get your address when you wouldn't answer?"

Elena paused when she walked into her bedroom. She shook her head before pulling open the closet door.

Kol sat against her headboard and crossed his legs at the ankle. He watched her pull out several dresses before her lips twisted into a grimace and she tossed the material onto the floor.

"What are you doing, darling?" He cocked an eyebrow and watched her carefully.

"Trying to find a dress," she pulled down a blue silk number and held it up in front of the mirror.

She knew he was right. She couldn't bail on the engagement party or any other event that had to do with the coming wedding. She had to go which meant she needed the perfect dress.

"You're going then?" Kol grinned.

"I can't exactly avoid it," she shrugged.

"How about a new dress then?" Kol jumped up and pulled the blue silk from her hands. "Rebekah would never forgive you if you showed up in something you'd already worn."

"Well then I should have been given more than a day's notice," Elena rolled her eyes. "Has this been in the works for a while or did Klaus throw the party together at the last minute?"

"Honestly," Kol bent and picked up a few of the dresses, "we thought if we gave you any more notice you'd run off to Europe."

"That's ridiculous," Elena gave him the most serious look she could muster, "I'd have taken off for South America." She groaned when she stepped into her closet and found nothing that would work. "All of the stores are closed. It'll have to be something…"

"Elena," Kol poked his head around the closet when she trailed off, "everything alright?"

She nodded before pushing passed him and retrieving her cell phone. She sent off a quick message and was surprised when she got an almost immediate response.

"Who are you texting?" Kol crossed his arms and eyed the phone suspiciously.

"Nobody," she grinned before locking her phone, "I'm going to take a quick shower."

* * *

Kol was warming a bag of blood in the microwave when there was a knock on the door. His head turned in the direction of the shower that was still running.

"Are you expecting company at..." he glanced at his watch, "… 8 in the morning?"

"Yes," Elena called out, "that'll be my fairy godmother."

Kol rolled his eyes before moving to answer the knock that he now realized was a kick. The knob twisted in his hand. Had he been human he definitely would have been knocked flat on his back by the rack of hanging bags that was pushed through the door.

"Okay," a feminine voice yawned from behind the rack of clothes, "I'm here. I've got several things that should work," a petite blonde stepped around the rack, "you just have to…" her eyes grew round when she saw Kol, "… you're not my friend."

He shook his head and chuckled. A patch of skin along his hip tingled when he caught her hand and lifted it to his lips.

"Allow me to introduce myself," he saw her eyes widen further at his voice, "Kol Mikaelson."

Kol tilted his head when the short blonde turned to glare at Elena when she emerged in a dressing gown.

"You did recognize the handwriting," she accused.

"I see you two have met," Elena struggled to suppress her grin. "Kol this is Lexa," she nodded to the blonde, "Lexa… I'm pretty sure you already know his name."

"Wait a minute," Kol released Lexa's hand, "is this why you were trying to get in touch with me?"

Elena gave him a disbelieving look. She arched an eyebrow and tilted her head while her lips tipped up into a smile.

"Yeah," she started towel drying her hair, "you should have answered the phone."

* * *

"What was wrong with simply planning the wedding?" Elijah looked up from where he was polishing his shoes.

"Rebekah deserves more than that," Klaus inspected a couple of ties, "we've put her through a lot the last ten centuries… black or white?"

"White," Elijah didn't bother looking. His eyes narrowed suspiciously. He had a feeling he knew exactly why his brother had arranged the ball so quickly. If it were not for Rebekah he would have declined to attend in order to respect Elena's desire for space. It had become abundantly clear that she did not want to see or speak to him; he knew she had his number saved and that she ignored his calls.

Klaus nodded once before exiting the room with the white bow tie in hand. He pulled out his phone to read the text from Finn.

**FINN – We've hit a bit of a snag.**

**Define snag?**

**FINN – The only warlock Sage and I could find is Jonas and he's gone a little downhill.**

**Bring him in case. I'll see if Kol can find a witch to help.**

* * *

**NIK – Need a witch. Jonas is getting up there.**

**I'll see what I can do.**

Lexa took a long gulp of her water and turned her head when Elena emerged from her bedroom in the first dress.

"No way," Kol shook his head.

"What's wrong with it?" Elena frowned at the pale blue skirt.

"You look like an ice queen," he tilted his head, "and not in a good way."

"Hey," Lexa glared. "I happen to like that dress. I put a lot of work into it."

"The dress is lovely," he frowned. "I just think she needs a different look for this."

"What kind of look?" Lexa crossed her arms and leaned back against the couch. Her green eyes sparkled with a challenge.

"She needs to look… breathtaking…"

"I'm only going to this for Rebekah and Jeremy, Kol," Elena gave him a pointed look. "I'm not going for…"

"Tell yourself that all you like, darling," Kol smirked, "but you and I both know you still want to take his breath away and make him think about the things he's missing."

"I can do breathtaking," Lexa stood from the couch, "would I be correct in assuming everyone at this party is like…"

"Just about," Elena nodded.

"Okay then," Lexa searched through the dress bags. She pulled one from the rack and handed it to Elena. "Try this one."

Lexa crossed her arms and waited for Elena to remerge from the bedroom.

"I don't know," Kol tilted his head when she came back out. "It's missing something."

"I'm not done yet," Lexa looked at him over her shoulder.

She turned back to Elena and walked around. Lifting her hands Lexa quickly sculpted the dark tresses into a low chignon; she saw Kol's eyes widen when the hair stayed in place without the use of pins. Waving her hand over the front of the dress made tiny lights dance over the midnight blue fabric.

"That's perfect," he breathed. Lifting his eyes from Elena to the woman who was his soulmate he tilted his head. "You're a witch."

Lexa nodded while straightening the many folds of the material. When she was done Elena resembled the night sky. Kol was fairly certain he could make out a few constellations in her skirt and across the bodice.

"I have to go back and get ready," Kol ran a hand over the back of his neck and caught Lexa's eye, "but I would love it if you came tonight as my guest."

"I'll have to go home and change," Lexa lifted an eyebrow. She had known him four hours, but already she knew that glint in his eye was indicative of something mischievous.

"Walk me out?" Lexa straightened the clothes on the rack and wheeled it towards the door.

"I'll see you both later then?" Elena gasped when her hair fell free.

"I'll see you later," Lexa agreed. "You'll have to do your hair though. That spell is only good for a few minutes."

She waited until they were outside on the curb and the rack had been collapsed and placed in the back of her SUV.

"You don't want me there tonight because of the soul mark, do you?"

Kol blinked at her tone.

"I think that's the fastest somebody has ever seen through me," he chuckled. "I do want you to come for that; I'd love to introduce you to my family. Fair warning they're completely crazy." He glanced back towards the building. "Elena is only the tip of the ice burg."

"That's not the only reason is it?" Lexa arched a brow. She tipped her head back when he stepped forward so she could look into his dark eyes. "Are you going to tell me?" The corner of her mouth quirked up in a smirk.

"I need your help," he brought his hand up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Little jolts of electricity raced up his arm when he touched her skin. "I could use the aid of a little witch."

"Something devious?" Her breath hitched when his fingers lingered on her cheek.

"Depends on your definition," his eyes flickered over her face.

Lexa's heart stuttered when he bent so his lips brushed over her ear. A delicious shiver raced down her spine when his cool breath fanned over her neck.

"I need a witch to seal Elena in a room with my brother," Kol settled his hand on her hip and felt the muscle quiver beneath his palm, "he's her mate. They've been at odds for thirty years."

"You want me to seal her in with the guy she hates?" Lexa's hand settled over his heart.

"She doesn't hate him," Kol pulled back far enough to meet her eyes. "She loves him, but she's convinced he doesn't love her. They're not going to solve anything the way they are, so they need a little… push."

"I'll help," her fingers tapped over his heart, "on one condition."

"What would that be, darling?" His hand slid back into her hair.

"If this goes badly," she blinked, "Elena never finds out I was involved."

"Deal," he smirked.

She swallowed nervously when his nose brushed over hers gently. "I… umm," she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I have to go and change. Where do I go tonight?"

"I'll tell you what," he lifted his head and pressed a kiss to her brow, "why don't you get ready and come back here around six? I'm going to send a car for Elena. With you here she'll be less inclined to make a last minute break for it."

Lexa lifted her wrist to check the time.

"That gives me five hours to get ready," she peeked up at him through her lashes when she opened her car door, "and attempt to take your breath away."

"That shouldn't be an issue for you," he tilted his head and smirked. "You could show up in a burlap sack and your smile would still take my breath away."

"Flattery will get you everywhere," she giggled and pulled the door closed. Lexa watched him in her rear view mirror and swallowed when he disappeared as she turned the corner.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here comes the reunion... I'm thinking it will probably be two to three more chapters plus an epilogue...
> 
> The ball, the reunion/the talk
> 
> I'm thinking Elena will definitely get to meet Jonas though. In this AU he didn't die and would be in his 60-70 at this point in time. If ya'll recall from an earlier chapter it was Jonas Elijah enlisted to create the elixir.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own TVD or TO.

"You're not ready for a ball," Elena arched an eyebrow when she pulled open the door.

Lexa stood on the other side in a pair of jeans and a warm coat. While her clothes were not conducive to formal activities her hair had been twisted into thin braids that formed a headband from which ringlets fell down over her left shoulder.

Elena's semi-serious quip about making a last minute break for it died in her throat when the petite blonde walked into the apartment with a dress bag.

"I thought I'd put the gown on over here," Lexa nodded towards the bedroom. She spoke through the wood as she stripped down and stepped into the dress. "It's rather difficult to drive in an empire gown."

"No more difficult than my dress will be," Elena ran her freshly manicured nail over the soft lights and traced the constellations. Her head snapped up when Lexa informed her that Kol was sending a car. "Of course he is," she shook her head and laughed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lexa's heels clicked on the hardwood when she remerged. She turned around so Elena could finish zipping the dress.

"It just means he knows me really well," Elena rolled her eyes. "He's convinced I'll try and bail at the last minute."

"Would you?" Lexa smoothed down her shimmering skirt.

Elena bit down on her lip and shrugged one shoulder. "I don't know." She blinked slowly before stepping back to get a good look at her friend's gown. "What colour is that? Is that more magic?"

"No," Lexa giggled, "would you believe it's just the fabric." She spun in a slow circle so the dress took on the appearance of crystal clear waters beneath the brilliant sun.

"It's beautiful," Elena breathed. She reached out to run a finger over the soft skirt. "You look like the Caribbean Sea."

"Is that a good thing?" Lexa tilted her head.

Elena nodded before sliding into her coat and helping Lexa fit her arms into the sleeves.

Lexa hooked her hand in the crook of Elena's arm when she hesitated at the front door. Her green eyes grew round when she spotted the car Kol had sent.

"That can't be right," she gasped at the vehicle that could only be described as a small limo.

"Oh," Elena exhaled slowly, "it is," she stifled her laugh at the shocked expression on Lexa's face.

She let the blond slide in first before taking her place in the back of the car.

"Kol didn't happen to tell you where we're going, did he?" Elena folded her hands in her lap.

"No," Lexa shook her head, "should I be concerned about that? Does he have a tendency to kidnap people?"

"If it had been Klaus sending the car maybe," Elena shrugged, "but Kol is usually alright for this sort of thing. He has only whisked me off twice without a clear destination in mind, and both times turned out to be the best vacations I had ever taken."

Lexa stared at the shimmering waterfall in her lap for a moment while chewing on her lower lip. She finally stole a glance at the brunette after they had sat in silence for several long moments.

"You and Kol…" she cringed at the tremor in her voice, "… you've two never…"

"What…" Elena's eyes grew round when she realized what Lexa was asking. "No, no no no no no. He's like another brother to me and one of my best friends that's it, I promise."

"Okay," Lexa shifted so she was facing Elena and toyed with the green stone around her neck. "So tell me what I'm getting into tonight."

"What do you mean?" Elena mirrored her motion and leaned forwards.

"Well," Lexa's voice dropped to a whisper, "he said he wanted to introduce me to his family, but he warned me they were completely insane."

"Oh that," Elena laughed, "he was right; they're completely nuts."

"Should I fear for my life?" Anxiety swirled in her stomach.

"I wouldn't worry about that," Elena hurried to reassure her. "The Originals can be downright lethal, but they are extremely protective of family and that protection extends to the soulmates of their siblings."

"The Originals…" Lexa paled slightly, "… the original vampires? The first vampires in history?"

Elena nodded slowly.

"My soulmate is one of the oldest beings on this planet?" Lexa's voice took on a shrill tone.

"Don't worry, sweetie," Elena patted her hand, "Kol's nothing more than an overgrown teenager. I swear sometimes it's like he stopped aging." She whispered conspiratorially. "They're not that bad once you get to know them."

"So they're not insane," Lexa tilted her head and narrowed her eyes.

"Oh no they are," Elena smirked, "you just grow to love that about them."

The rest of the drive was spent with Elena telling Lexa about the many vampires she would be meeting that night. She only left out one.

* * *

"What are you so giddy about?" Elijah narrowed his eyes suspiciously when he approached Kol.

Kol lifted his glass to his lips. His dark eyes glittered with mirth as he practically vibrated with excitement.

"Can't I just be happy for Rebekah?"

"That's not happiness for Rebekah," Klaus shook his head while eyeing his younger brother. "You're hiding something."

"I resent that," Kol smirked around his glass.

Klaus head turned towards the door when Caroline's voice sounded.

_"The bastard actually did it."_

He looked to find his soulmate staring at the double doors that lead into the ballroom. A moment later he understood why.

Elijah's spine straightened when he saw her. The breath stilled in his lungs as everyone else seemed to disappear from the ballroom. She was a vision in midnight blue silk; more beautiful than the night sky. He saw constellations he hadn't seen in centuries glitter over her bodice.

"I guess I owe Rebekah money," Klaus chuckled.

"What are you talking about?" Elijah snapped out of his daze when a hand clapped him on the shoulder.

"Kol said he could get Elena to come," Klaus nodded to the brunette his brother was still staring at, "I said it couldn't be done and Rebekah said it could. I've clearly lost."

A low growl rumbled in Elijah's chest when he noticed Kol's prolonged stare.

"Are you going to gaze on Elena all night?" Elijah's voice was little more than a hiss that didn't carry beyond his siblings.

"I don't think he's looking at Elena," Jeremy adjusted his sleeves when he paused by the Originals. He nodded towards his sister.

Elijah followed his gaze to see a petite blonde who he had not noticed before. It took him less than a minute to discern that Kol was gazing upon the woman in the dress that resembled liquid more than silk.

"Well," Klaus stepped in front of Elijah to ensure he had his undivided attention. "I believe you have a ball to commence."

* * *

She wondered if he could hear the way her heart fluttered when he spoke. She wondered if he could feel the way her eyes lingered on the neat lines of his tuxedo; he had always looked mouth-watering when he donned the more formal attire. If she were being honest she found him undeniably attractive in whatever he chose to wear.

Did he hear the way her breath hitched when he urged the guests to find a partner for the opening number? Did he know she could feel his gaze on her when she turned away?

"Hello darling," Kol smirked when he stepped through the crowd, "I was only marginally afraid you'd make a run for it."

"You would have just hunted me down," Elena rolled her eyes. "Besides I couldn't let Lexa faces the wolves alone."

"Only one wolf," Kol snickered and extended his hand towards the slim blonde, "and I assure you both Nik will be on his best behaviour." He lifted Lexa's hand and placed a chaste kiss across her knuckles. "Would you do me the honour of being my dancing partner, Lexa?"

"I don't think I know the steps," she drew her bottom lip between her teeth. Her eyes darted to the many couples beginning to take their places on the floor.

"Don't worry," Kol winked, "It's quite simple. You just have to follow my lead."

Elena covered her smile with her fingers and watched Kol draw Lexa into place in the middle of the dancefloor. She blinked in surprise when an older gentleman offered her his hand.

"Such a beautiful woman should not be condemned to the life of a wall flower." The man's dark eyes glittered with mirth. "Would you do this old man the honour of a dance? It will likely be the only one I've the energy for this evening."

"I'd be delighted," Elena smiled politely. She noticed Elijah halfway across the dancefloor when his shoulders stiffened.

Elena took her place among the dancers and fell into step when the musicians struck up a classic tune. Her mind flashed back to the last time she had attended a Mikaelson family ball; she could only hope this one did not end with a clandestine meeting that resulted in betrayal.

"I can't shake the feeling I've seen you somewhere before."

Elena tipped her head back and offered a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"I'm pretty sure we've never met," she blinked, "perhaps you've run across, Katherine, my doppelganger. People tend to confuse us a lot. I'm Elena."

"Oh," he nodded in the way grandfathers were wont to do and smiled as if being let in on a great secret. "You're the girl I made the elixir for. Tell me dear, did it work?"

"Excuse me," Elena's eyes grew round as she moved on autopilot, "what elixir?"

"Oh it must have been… I'm not sure how long it's been," he tilted his head. "You'd know better than I. I'm afraid my memory is not quite what it used to be. I remember most of the large spells I cast over the years, but I can't seem to remember when they occurred."

"I'm sorry… umm…" Elena trailed off when she realized she didn't know his name.

"Jonas," he smiled genially.

"Jonas," Elena offered a tight smile. "What elixir were you referring to? I think we got a little off topic there."

"I made a potion at the behest of an Original," Jonas smiled and steered her towards the edge of the dance floor. "It held mystical properties of resuscitation, but he never told me if it worked. Though I suppose if you're a vampire it means it didn't."

"I actually turned about a year later," Elena turned her head this way and that before spotting him on the other end of room. Her head snapped back around when she saw he was looking directly at her and wondered if he had been listening in to her conversation.

Elena cleared her throat delicately when the music stopped and stepped away from Jonas. "If you'll excuse me…" She didn't wait for his answer before slipping from the ballroom and down the hall.

She leaned against a tall bookshelf in the library and exhaled slowly before blinking back a tear.

* * *

"Showtime," Kol murmured when he saw Elijah push through the crowd along the edge of the floor. "I do hope you're not about to back out."

"Never," Lexa smirked. She gasped when he took her hand and pulled her across the room.

They made it to the hall just in time to see the library door drift shut behind Elijah's back.

Kol stepped back and watched Lexa step forward and hold the doorknob in her hand. Her murmured spell was almost too quiet for him to hear.

"How long will that last?" Kol took her hand and threaded their fingers together. He didn't miss the way her breath hitched at his touch.

"Until I take it down," Lexa tilted her head back so she could meet his eyes. Even in her heels she was much shorter than him.

"In that case," he tucked her hand into the crook of his arm, "I'd like to introduce you to a few people."

Lexa heart stuttered when he covered her hand with his and led her back towards the ballroom. They had just made it to the dancefloor when he heard the unmistakable sound of a doorknob rattling.

"Don't worry," Lexa smirked. "I sealed them in so even if they break down the door they'll be trapped inside."

"You're a little devious," Kol cocked an eyebrow.

"Is that a problem?" Lexa mirrored his expression.

"Not at all," his lips quirked upwards, "it's actually rather attractive." Kol allowed his eyes to roam over her dress appreciatively. "You look stunning by the way."

"Flattery will get you everywhere," she shook with a small laugh. Heat curled at the base of her spine before sizzling through her body. She cleared her throat and averted her eyes from his heavy stare. "So… who am I meeting first?"

Kol ran his eyes over her profile and squeezed her hand. "I thought we'd start with the guests of honour," he moved around some well-wishers and caught the arm of a slim blonde in a red dress.

"Kol," Rebekah turned around from where she had been inspecting the dancefloor, "now is not a great time. I need to find Elena and try to…"

"Already done," Kol grinned maniacally. "I'd like to introduce you to the witch who just sealed them in."

Rebekah turned her blue eyes to Lexa and smiled while offering her hand.

"Rebekah this is Lexa," Kol waited until Lexa's hand was in Rebekah's, "she is my soulmate."

Lexa bit back her laugh at the way Rebekah's eyes grew round and smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you," she lowered her hand back to her skirt, "and congratulations."

"Thank you," Rebekah reached behind her for Jeremy's hand. "I don't suppose you two have met yet. Jeremy this is…"

"I heard," he chuckled and extended his hand.

"Lexa this is Elena's brother and Rebekah's fiancé," Kol grinned, "it only took him thirty years to propose."

"Ha-ha," Jeremy laughed.

"I have to admit," Lexa narrowed her eyes, "this is not what I was picturing after Elena made a joke about the wolves."

"Don't worry," Jeremy teased, "Klaus is the only one that really referred to, and if you go now you can be guaranteed he'll be on his best behaviour." He nodded to where Klaus stood on the edge of the dancefloor with a blonde in a glittering blue dress. "Caroline will make sure of that. I think the only one you'll really have to fear is Elijah. He's not going to be pleased that you were the one to seal him in the room."

"Unless things go well," Kol's hand settled on the small of her back when he heard her heartrate increase. "In which case you will have a new best friend."

* * *

Elena crossed her arms and moved to stand before the window to stare out at the full moon. Jonas was old and slightly senile. She had been all but holding him up towards the end of the dance, but she knew he hadn't been lying about the elixir.

But that opened a whole realm of possibilities and questions with unknown answers. If Jonas was telling the truth then Elijah had lied to her thirty years ago. What purpose would lying to her then serve?

Had he known the way she had felt about Katherine? Had he known she had been starting to develop a crush on him when he'd come out with the spell? Had he been attempting to alienate her?

Was he sleeping with Katherine? Was that why Jonas had thought she looked familiar; because he had seen Katherine with Elijah?

She heard the door open and didn't need to open her eyes to know who it was. The tingle behind her ear was more than enough to indicate Elijah. The familiar smell of his aftershave only served to remind her of how she had grown so familiar with the scent; she could almost feel the cool bricks against her shoulders.

Elijah didn't say anything. He had been thinking of the moment he saw her again for years, but now that he was in her presence he found the words gone. He wasn't sure if it was just Elena or the memory of the conversation he'd had with Kol earlier about Katerina Petrova. Maybe it was the sudden knowledge that Jonas had let slip a thirty year old secret.

He forced himself to leave a half dozen feet between them and choked down the urge he had to wrap his arms around her waist and lay kisses across her bare shoulders. Fifteen years was a long time.

"Elena," he busied his hands by adjusting his cuffs. "Can we talk?"

"You lied to me," her grip tightened on her upper arms. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Spinning on her heel she avoided his gaze and moved to the door.

Even if he'd made the elixir for her it didn't change the fact that Katherine had been in contact with him. It didn't change the fact that he had hung up the phone when she'd heard her own voice on the other side.

She knew Jonas hadn't been lying about the elixir. Kol had taught her how to discern honesty decades before.

What did it mean if she was the one he had made the potion for? Why had he lied? Why hadn't he told her about it later?

His hand closed around her elbow just as hers curled around the doorknob. Elena did her best to ignore his hand and tried to open the door.

She gasped when he spun her around so that her back landed against the door. The smooth wood warmed beneath her skin and grounded her in the room. She stared at his tie and struggled not to look up into the dark eyes she knew she would lose herself in.

"I'm not letting you run away again," Elijah's hands settled on either side of her shoulders without touching her skin.

"Clearly," Elena glared at his tie. "Let me guess," she finally lifted her eyes, "you had Jonas seal the door?"

"What?" Elijah tilted his head.

"Don't play dumb," Elena scoffed. She ducked under his arm and leaned against the cold fireplace.

Elijah looked from her to the door before reaching out and attempting to open the door. The handle rattled but wouldn't budge under his hand.

"We're sealed in," he turned back around in time to see her brows rise in surprise.

"You didn't have Jonas do this?" Elena's lips formed a thin line.

"No," he shook his head, "Jonas hardly has the strength to light a fire anymore."

"Some other witch then," Elena crossed her arms.

"Jonas is the only one in attendance," Elijah sighed. He tilted his head when he saw the realization on Elena's face.

"No he's not," she shook her head and reached into the hidden pocket in her skirt. She could feel Elijah's eyes on her when she lifted the phone to her ear. Her own eyes narrowed when she reached the voicemail. "Lexa, get your ass back over here and open the damn door!"

Elijah's head turned towards the ballroom when they made out the laughing voice of a soon to be maimed Original.

_"She won't be doing that, darling."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No more running, Elena. Time to face the music and get everything out in the open...


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own TVD or TO
> 
> This is the final chapter for Unobtainable. I had a lot of fun writing it.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who took the time to review this story.

"Alright," Elena gave the door a final kick before exhaling and turning to face him, "let's talk. Start with the elixir."

"I went to Jonas a few weeks before the ritual," Elijah met her flashing eyes. "You had made it very clear you were going to meet Niklaus no matter what happened and I was not about to let you die."

Elena shifted on her heels and blinked at the shelves of books. "Why did you lie? Why did you tell me it was for Katherine?"

"Because," he took small steps across the floor until he was a foot in front of her, "telling you the truth would have made you ask why and if you recall I was attempting to respect your desire to remain human."

"And that just brings up a whole other issue," Elena rolled her eyes.

"I didn't know Elena…"

"Really," she scoffed, "because it seems most of our problems stemmed from the fact that you knew and I didn't."

"Not that," he shook his head. "I didn't know about Katherine or the position the Salvatores put you in. It wasn't until I was leaving the Caribbean that Caroline told me Katerina had been involved with them."

Elena's eyes narrowed when he said her name. She hated the way that name sounded almost as much as she despised the woman it belonged to.

"I want you, Elena," Elijah lifted her chin with his knuckle, "please tell me you've had enough time to figure out what you want."

Elena closed her eyes and chewed her lip.

Elijah inhaled slowly to still the desire he had to pull her lip into his own mouth. He exhaled when her hand landed on his chest and smoothed over the lapel of his jacket.

"I don't want to be a second choice," she murmured quietly. She inhaled slowly and tried to ignore the way his hand shifted to cradle her neck; his thumb on her jaw sent tingles down her spine. "I love you, but…" she paused when she heard his heart skip a beat, "… I don't want to spend my life competing with my doppelganger."

"Competing?" His voice was laced with confused disbelief. "There is no competition Elena."

"I heard her voice," she shook her head sadly. Elena couldn't bring herself to pull away from his hand.

"Yes you did," Elijah nodded. "That was the first I'd heard from her since sealing her in the tomb before the ritual. I don't know how she got hold of my number, and believe me I've been cursing myself every day since for answering the phone."

Elena blinked at his perfectly knotted bow tie while he continued talking.

"I don't want Katerina, Elena," he wanted nothing more than to see her dark eyes, "I want you." His free hand settled over the constellations dancing along her hip. "You are beautiful, intelligent, and kind. You're also exceedingly stubborn, and selfless to a fault. You were willing to die to keep your friends safe. That was the only time I wanted you to be selfish; I would have gladly taken you and run then."

Elena lifted her eyes slowly and felt the air stop in her lungs when she saw the intensity in his gaze.

"I want you because there is no one else like you. I love you, Elena," his hand slid moved from her hip to grasp her fingers on his chest. "Not the woman that came before you. I have been trying to tell you that for the past 15 years, but you are so unbelievably stubborn," his mouth lifted in a fond smile, "that you wouldn't answer the phone. Nobody would tell me where you were either, and I couldn't find you," his fingers traced the skin behind her ear, "apparently the marks only work when you're in danger. Do you know I haven't had an address for Rebekah in nearly two…"

His eyes grew round when she cut off his rambling. Her soft lips moved against his in a gentle kiss. He closed his eyes to savour the feeling of her lips on his. He had been dreaming of her kiss for decades. Not the rough fast kisses they had shared in that alley, but the slow gentle kisses he had wanted to give her.

* * *

Finn looked up from where he was greeting Lexa and frowned when he found no sign of his brother or Elena in the ballroom.

"They've been sealed in the library," Kol answered the unasked question with a smirk.

"Has anyone been listening to make sure they're not killing each other?" Finn's question was directed at each member of the family around the room.

"They wouldn't kill each other," Kol assured Lexa. He tilted his head towards the library and strained his ears. He didn't hear anything at first before the soft moan reached his ears. "I don't think anyone wants to hear that."

* * *

Elena pulled back when his tongue traced the seam of her lips. Her shallow breaths fanned across his chin. The heady smell of his aftershave and the bourbon he had consumed earlier made her head swim.

Elijah rested his forehead against hers.

"If you ever compel me again," she met his dark eyes, "I'll have Kol dig those daggers out of cold storage so fast you won't know what hit you."

He nodded solemnly before dipping down to brush his lips over her mouth again.

"I'm serious," she murmured against his lips.

"I know," he smiled and kissed along her jaw and nibbled on her ear.

Elena's eyes fluttered shut. She moaned and bit down on her lip to stifle the sound.

Her fingers threaded through his perfectly combed hair making a mess of the dark locks. Her hands slid down to his shoulders and pushed the black jacket from his arms.

"Does this mean you'll finally tell me where you live?" He chuckled when she pulled his tie free and made quick work of his buttons.

"I'll think about it," Elena rolled her eyes. Her laugh turned to a moan when he bit her neck with blunt teeth. She slid his vest and shirt off; her fingers explored the quivering muscles of his chest and abdomen.

"Don't think too long," he spun her around in his arms and moved kissed her shoulder.

Elena turned her head and caught his lips. She drew his bottom lip into her mouth and nibbled. The shiver racing down her spine was a combination of his tongue slipping out to explore her mouth and his fingers drawing the zipper down her back.

She cast her eyes downwards where the stars pooled on the floor. She didn't have much time to stare before he lifted her into his arms and laid her down on the soft sofa.

Elena arched her back when he hovered over her and slid his arm beneath her body to unsnap her bra. The fabric was thrown into a corner of the room before he bent and caught her lips in a slow kiss.

Elijah trailed his hand slowly up and down her smooth side. He kneaded her supple breast and flicked her nipple with his thumb.

She moaned into his mouth.

He kissed along her jaw and down her throat before making his way to her flushed chest. His tongue left a scorching trail across her skin.

Elena knew it had been too long when he sucked her rosy nipple into his mouth and a searing, breathtaking pleasure coursed through her body. It wasn't quite an orgasm, but it was close.

His erection pressed against her centre through the layers of clothes when she rocked her hips up.

She heard him groan when he slid down further and her nails scraped his scalp.

"You're soaking wet," he pressed his hands to the drenched lace.

"Your fault," she rutted against his hand and whimpered when he stilled her hips. "Elijah…" She glared when he smirked and pressed a kiss to her belly button.

"Patience, Elena," his teeth scraped over her skin.

She lifted her hips when he slowly slid the ruined underwear down her shapely legs. She was going to tell him off because it had been fifteen years but it seemed she didn't need to. His cool breath fanned over her dripping center once before he met her lidded eyes and licked her slowly.

Elena threaded her left hand into his short hair. She pinched her aching nipples while his tongue dipped into her soaked pussy and expertly circled her engorged clit. The addition of his dexterous fingers had her climbing towards her orgasm. She threw her arm across her mouth and bit down to stifle her scream while she rocked against his thrusting fingers and tongue.

She sat up when he stood and reached for his belt while he toed off his shoes. She gasped when he bent and pressed a rough kiss to her lips; Elena moaned when she tasted herself on his tongue and made quick work of his belt.

A soft squeal escaped her mouth when pushed her back and positioned himself between her thighs.

For one brief moment Elena forgot they were on a narrow couch; she hooked her leg around his hips and flipped him over. The knowledge that they were not actually in a bed returned when they were airborne.

Elijah grunted when his back hit the floor and the breath was knocked from his lungs. He bit down his smirk when Elena started laughing and sat up. His hand grasped the back of her neck.

"I sincerely hope you're not laughing at me," he tilted his head and arched an eyebrow, "you'll make me start to feel self-conscious."

"Never," Elena swore. She smirked wickedly before sliding a hand down his chest and steadying his throbbing cock. She tossed her head back and moaned when she sank down. She relished the feeling of being stretched to the limit before beginning to rock her hips slowly up and down.

Elijah's hands slid slowly up and down her sides as she rode him. His lidded eyes flickered from her bouncing breasts to the writhing veins beneath her red rimmed eyes. He brought his hands up to knead her breasts and tweaked her nipples.

Elena gasped when she was pushed back onto the floor and stared up at him. Her hands roamed his back as he snapped his hips faster and faster against her body. She arched her back as the coil tightened in her abdomen and tightened her legs around his waist. The addition of his thumb against her sensitive clit and his fangs piercing her smooth neck pushed her over the edge.

When the white noise faded away she kissed him soundly and groaned when she licked the leftover blood from his mouth. Elena ran her hand slowly down his right arm while licking and kissing his neck. Her fangs broke skin when her thumb brushed over the looping letters over his wrist.

Elijah's heart stuttered as he stilled and spilled his warm seed into her pliant body. He shifted to lie beside her and ran his hand slowly down her flat stomach.

Elena licked her lips and moaned as he manipulated her clit and brought her over the edge again.

She rolled onto her side and slung her arm over his chest. Her eyes drifted shut when he wrapped his arm around her body and pressed kisses into her mussed hair; the once sleek up do was a complete mess.

"So," Elijah ran his fingers through her hair to remove the pins, "where did we land on the address?"

"I think you've got it," she rolled her eyes, "your siblings did seal us in here. So for the foreseeable future it seems that I live in this library."

"Well, then," Elijah smirked, "we'll just have to christen every surface."

Elena laughed when he sat her on the edge of the desk.

"They wouldn't leave us in here forever," Elena quirked an eyebrow.

"Of course not," Elijah rained kisses down on her face, "eventually Niklaus will demand they open the door so we stop defiling his study."

* * *

Elijah had been correct. They had been left to their own devices only until the music stopped and guests were shown out before Klaus had blown.

They had heard him in the hall when Kol and Lexa approached the door. Elena snatched Elijah's discarded shirt when the door opened. It seemed the act was in vain though because the moment Klaus stormed inside Elijah had picked her up and flashed upstairs into the shower.

They were not seen again for three days, but they were heard.

* * *

"Can I drive you home?" Kol tucked Lexa's hand into the crook of his arm and pulled a set of keys from his pocket.

"I think you'll have to," she smirked, "since I have no idea where I am."

Lexa knew she should have watched to see where they were but her eyes kept darting to his profile in the blue light from the console. She blinked when he slowed down at Elena's street.

"I'm not sure where to go from here, darling."

She gave him quick directions and blinked in surprise when he pulled up outside her Brooklyn duplex a few moments later. She was searching through her clutch for the keys when he pulled open the door and offered her a hand.

She cursed when her shoe caught in the layers of silk and laughed when he lifted her from the car and set her on her feet just outside the door to the building. She teetered dangerously on her heels and braced her hands on his shoulders.

When she felt steady enough she lifted her gaze and felt the breath leave her lungs. Warmth spread through her under his hands that had settled on her hips. She blinked quickly; her eyes flickering from his dark eyes to his parted lips.

What little breath she managed to draw in was stolen when he pressed his lips to hers in a gentle kiss that made her dizzy with desire. Electricity raced through her body and caused her muscles to melt.

Kol tightened his arms around her waist to feel her closer and keep himself grounded. He had to remind himself they were exposed on the street when her warm hand slipped around his back and dipped under his shirt.

He pulled back and laid his forehead against hers. He took a moment to catch his breath and could tell she was doing the same. Several moments later he opened his eyes to find hers still closed. He lifted his hand to gently stroke the pretty flush across her face.

Her knees weakened when she opened her eyes and caught the heavy emotion in his eyes. She blinked in confusion when he stepped back and carefully removed her hand from under his shirt.

Kol kissed her knuckles and exhaled slowly. He had to summon every ounce of self-control not to pin her to the red bricks and take her there on the street.

"I should go," he ran his thumb over her palm before releasing her hand and backing up.

"Why?" Lexa cocked an eyebrow. She caught his sleeve and tilted her head.

"Madam?" He held his hand over his heart and gasped dramatically. "Whatever will the neighbors say when they see you bringing a strange man home?"

"Hmm," she pursed her lips and pretended to consider, "she's not gay?" She couldn't hold her serious expression when he shook with laughter.

"Seriously," Kol squeezed her hand.

"Seriously," she giggled, "what century do you think this is?"

Kol's eyes widened comically as he leaned down to whisper. "It is still the 21st century right? I have to ask… I have gone to sleep in one and woken in another."

"That's not going to happen again is it?" Lexa swallowed nervously.

"No, darling," he shook his head and smiled, "I took care of that little problem a few decades back."

"Good," she nodded before turning around and unlocking the door. She paused inside the door and glanced over her shoulder. "Are you coming in?"

"Is that an invitation, little witch?" Kol braced his hand on the door frame and stared down into her glittering emerald eyes. He lifted his foot over her threshold when she nodded once.

The door had barely clicked shut before he pulled her into his arms and laid a line of kisses across her cheek to her ear.

"Remind me to inform you of the danger in inviting vampires into your home later, darling," his breath tickled her throat.

"I'll try to remember," she flipped the lock on the door. Walking backwards they left a trail of fabric along the floor and across the stairs on the path to her bedroom.

* * *

"Okay," Caroline pulled a mug of warm blood from the microwave, "I get that they're making up for lost time and what not…" she hummed appreciatively when the blood entered her system, "… but it's been three days."

Klaus rolled his eyes when he heard the loud moaning coming from upstairs.

"Do you think they're ever going to come out?" she leaned against the counter.

"Eventually," Klaus wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her cheek, "they'll have to come out for fresh blood at some point."

Rebekah leaned against the door frame and rolled her eyes. "How many times do we have to tell you two 'not in the kitchen'?"

"We're not doing anything," Caroline laughed.

"Really," Jeremy stepped down into the kitchen and leaned against the table, "then where's your bra?"

"It's right…" Caroline trailed off when she realized the fabric was gone. Turning her head to the right she reached around and smacked Klaus' side when he held up the blue lace. "When did you do that?" She snatched the fabric and tucked it under her arm.

"Strapless is much easier to remove, love," he chuckled when she glared.

"Really, Klaus," Elena rolled her eyes when she stepped around Finn into the kitchen, "not in the kitchen."

"This from the woman emerging from a three day marathon in my brother's shirt," he chuckled and tightened his arm around Caroline's waist.

"It's not like I have clothes here," Elena rolled her eyes. She couldn't stop the smile when Elijah wrapped his arms around her from behind and whispered against her ear.

"We'll have to remedy that as soon as possible," he kissed her temple.

"In the meantime," Caroline snickered, "you can borrow something of mine."

"I happen to adore her in this ensemble," Elijah rested his head on her shoulder.

"You would," Rebekah rolled her eyes, "but I doubt the general public will. Do you have Lexa's number, Elena?"

"Yeah why?" Elena tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Because Kol left his phone and none of us have seen a sign of him since he left to drive her home," Rebekah pulled a bag of blood from the fridge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think?

**Author's Note:**

> I do so love reviews.  
> I guarantee he had his reasons.


End file.
